Final Draft
New Jersey
State Development
and Redevelopment
Plan
Volume I
New Jersey State Planning Commission
January 13, 2010
Citizens of New Jersey
It is with great pleasure that my colleagues and I present New Jersey’s 2010 State Development and Redevelopment Plan. This plan sets forth a vision for the future of our state
along with a strategy to achieve that vision. It is the culmination of several years of work
by the State Planning Commission and its staff in collaboration with state, county and
local stakeholders and members of the public.
The State Plan represents a long-term view for New Jersey– it’s strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities and risks – and provides policy guidance that can be utilized to make decisions that will affect the future of our State and the quality of life for current and future
generations of New Jersey’s residents. This is not simply a policy document. The State
Development and Redevelopment Plan contains a frank discussion of issues facing our
state along with practical recommendations on addressing those issues with the goal of
achieving a thriving and sustainable community. If followed, the Plan can help create a
future that will celebrate all that New Jersey has to offer.
Today we face issues that are more extreme than any others in recent memory. The Plan
addresses these issues directly and succinctly. Greenhouse gas emissions, vehicle miles
travelled, minimizing our dependence on traditional sources of energy, green design
and protection of our precious natural resources must be addressed imminently. The
economic challenges of today necessitate an innovative formula to address these issues.
These challenges create incredible opportunities for us. However, it will take a concerted
effort on the part of all stakeholders to work together to ensure coordinated policies
and a unified approach to tackling the challenges that lie ahead. If we are successful –
and I have every reason to believe that we will be – New Jersey will achieve a balance
between economic development and environmental protection that will become the
example for all to follow.
I am proud of this Plan. It lays out the path that we all must take to ensure that New
Jersey thrives into the future. I call upon all of us to lead by example and to put aside all
that gets in the way of a unified strategy to implement the visions in this Plan. After all is
said and done, we must be able to implement this Plan through leadership and tenacity
for the benefit of all who come after us.
Edward J. McKenna, Jr.
Chairman
State Planning Commission
New Jersey State Planning Commission
Edward McKenna, Chairman
Principal McKenna, Du Pont, Higgins & Stone
John Eskilson, Vice Chair
County Administrator, Sussex County
Kenneth Albert
K. Albert Associates, Inc.
Robert Bowser
Mayor, City of East Orange
Stephen Dilts
Commissioner, Department of Transportation
Douglas H. Fisher
Secretary, Department of Agriculture
Shing-Fu Hsueh
Mayor, West Windsor Township
Mark Mauriello
Commissioner, Department of Environmental Protection
Thomas S. Michnewicz
Somerset Development
Patrick Morrissy
Executive Director, Housing and Neighborhood Development Services
Charles Richman,
Acting Commissioner, Department of Community Affairs
David Rosseau
State Treasurer, Department of Treasury
Louise Wilson
Mayor, Montgomery Township
Donna Rendeiro
Acting Secretary and Principal Executive Officer
Julie Cavanagh, Esq.
Deputy Attorney General, Department of Law and Public Safety
Martin A. Bierbaum Phd., J.D.
Consultant, Chief Author
Contents
Introduction
The State Planning Commission Findings
Why is the State Plan Important?
Why Plan?
The Fundamental Issues
The State Planning Act (N.J.S.A. 52:18A-196 et. seq.)
What the State Planning Act Directs
What the State Planning Act Does Not Do
The Role of the State Plan
The State Plan’s Structure
The State Plan Baseline
The State Plan’s Vision for New Jersey in the Year 2030
Diversity
Accessibility
Sustainability
Prosperity
Livability
The Challenges to the State Plan’s Vision
State Plan Goals
The State Plan Strategy
Statewide Policies
The State Plan Policy Map (SPPM)
Resource Planning & Management Structure
Planning Areas
Critical Environmental Sites & Historic/Cultural Sites
Centers & Environs
Centers Components
Types of Centers
State Plan Policies for Centers
State Plan Policies for Environs
Special Use Designations
Cores
Nodes
Plan Adoption & Revision
The Plan Adoption & Revision Process
Implementation
Monitoring and Evaluation
Impact Assessment of the New Jersey State Plan
Infrastructure Needs Assessment
State Agency Functional Plans
Key Indicators and Targets
Epilogue
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Year after year our scenic treasures
are being plundered by what we call
an advancing civilization.
If we are not careful we shall leave our
children a legacy of billion-dollar
roads leading nowhere except
to other congested places
- General Omar N. Bradley
like those they left behind.
Volume I
Introduction
Introduction
During the Colonial Era, Benjamin Franklin reportedly referred to New Jersey as “a barrel tapped
at both ends”. This was a reference to the influence on the state from New York City to the northeast
and Philadelphia to the southwest. The effect of these two major population centers on development
in New Jersey has been evident throughout the state’s history and continues to the present. However,
New Jersey has its own character, its own identity and its own issues. New Jersey is an extraordinarily
diverse state with a broad range of planning issues that must be successfully addressed to ensure
a sustainable and prosperous future for both current and succeeding generations of New Jersey
residents.
New Jersey is the most densely populated state in the nation with approximately 1,100 people
per square mile. Much of the state is highly urbanized or suburbanized. However, a significant part
of the state remains rural with both valuable natural features and a substantial agricultural presence.
New Jersey’s diversity is its defining characteristic and the source of the high quality of life that has led
to so many people calling the state home. With a vibrant economy and a growing population, balancing the protection of the state’s natural resources and economic growth to address the needs of its
people continue to present a daunting challenge.
New Jersey’s future will be subject to a number of varied, often competing interests. This State
Plan poses a vision for the state that provides appropriate guidance to balance and align those interests. The development trends of the recent past will likely prove to be unsustainable challenges from
an economic, an environmental and a social standpoint. The goals and policies contained in this State
Plan are designed to address and alter those trends. The success or failure of this State Plan will be
measured by the degree to which the State Plan’s goals and policies can be effectively implemented.
The State Planning Commission Findings
The State Planning Commission finds and declares that:
Substantial benefits have already been achieved from the development of the State Plan, its associated
processes and the implementation of aspects of the State Plan including, but not necessarily limited to
the following:
ƒƒ The establishment of a public forum for the comprehensive review of economic growth, natural
and cultural resource conservation and environmental protection policies on a recurrent basis.
ƒƒ The function as a forum to identify and assess the State’s future infrastructure needs.
ƒƒ The provision of technical planning and significant financial planning assistance by the State to
county and municipal governments.
ƒƒ The development of a vision that provides increased coherence to individual State department
and agency initiatives and underscores the value of local government projects that are consistent with the State Plan.
ƒƒ The elevated awareness of state and regional planning issues among public officials and the
public-at-large along with the enhanced role for county planning that serves to advance
regional planning in New Jersey.
ƒƒ The creation of an improved means to relate to the State’s legislatively established regional
planning entities, i.e., The Pinelands, The New Jersey Meadowlands and the Highlands.
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The State Planning Commission finds and declares that:
ƒƒ The improvement of communications among planning professionals in both the public and
private sectors and throughout the State of New Jersey as a result of the focus provided by this
State Plan.
ƒƒ The active engagement with other states involved in State Planning in ways that benefit the
State of New Jersey and it multiple levels of government.
Substantial benefits will continue to accrue to the State of New Jersey and local governments as the
State Plan is employed as a guide to achieve the following outcomes:
ƒƒ The facilitation of shifts in population, employment, economic development and redevelopment into more compact, mixed-use, center-based and less sprawling settlement patterns
that optimize land-use and infrastructure efficiencies while ensuring that natural and cultural
resources are protected and enhancing the potential for multi-modal transportation alternatives to the automobile.
ƒƒ The provision of more affordable housing opportunities for low and moderate income and
minority populations throughout the state.
ƒƒ The distribution of economic benefits from development and redevelopment in more equitable
ways.
ƒƒ The improvement in governance that will result when multiple government levels and departments and agencies on each of those government levels coordinate, integrate and align plans,
policies, programs and regulations to achieve sustainability as a result of their participation in
the State Plan development and implementation processes even in the absence of the imposition of mandatory land-use controls.
Nevertheless, the State Plan, its processes and implementation will be improved and more effective in
achieving its goals in the future by having the State Plan address the following concerns:
ƒƒ Strengthen anti-sprawl strategies and policies by continuing to focus on the State Plan’s most
fundamental concerns including where State and local governments should encourage and
discourage development and redevelopment as well as the quality of development and redevelopment that takes place.
ƒƒ Employ the State Plan more effectively as a public infrastructure investment guide by multiple
government levels.
ƒƒ Expand the formerly narrow definition of “equity” contained in the State Plan to include the
de-concentration of poverty and the notion of environmental justice without, in any way,
diminishing the preservation of property values as an equity issue as was formerly included in
earlier versions of the State Plan.
ƒƒ Improve the integration of the State Plan Statewide Policies and the State Plan Policy Map,
while simultaneously incorporating the concept of “sustainability” into the State Plan.
ƒƒ Enhance the coordination, integration and alignment of the State Plan with the numerous
plans, policies, programs and regulations which operate pursuant to their own respective
statutory authorities.
ƒƒ Establish a reasonable and defensible set of population, employment and housing projections
that may be predictably and consistently applied by State departments and agencies and local
government jurisdictions.
ƒƒ Reduce the frequency of Cross-acceptance.
ƒƒ Focus increased attention on State Plan implementation by aligning State department and
agency program incentives and disincentives to local government jurisdictions and by re2
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Why is the State Plan Important?
Why Plan?
forming and appropriately adjusting the State Plan-Plan Endorsement Process to encourage
increased local government participation
ƒƒ Acknowledge the importance and necessity of adequately staffing the Office of Smart Growth
(OSG) to develop, implement and administer the State Plan
ƒƒ Extend outreach to the State Legislature in recognition of the important role that the State
Legislature should play in providing the State Planning Commission with additional State Plan
implementation tools and financial resources
Why is the State Plan Important?
New Jersey has been historically blessed with abundant resources and an attractive quality of
life. Its strong economy has allowed its residents to live well and to prosper. Yet the development and
implementation of the State Plan is important to meet the multiple challenges that New Jersey is likely
to face over the next twenty years. In addition to meeting these challenges effectively and efficiently,
a major purpose of the State Plan, as directed by the State Planning Act, is to seek an appropriate
balance, a balance that carefully weighs economic growth and development and the conservation
and protection of the State’s natural and cultural resources. The State Plan also tries to ensure that the
costs and benefits of future growth are fairly distributed so that all New Jersey residents share equitably in New Jersey’s prosperity.
Why Plan?
Why do large organizations like the State of New
Jersey need to plan? The simple answer is that a failure
to plan is tantamount to planning to fail! Without a
plan, decision-makers across often far-flung organizations such as state government will make decisions
to allocate increasingly scarce resources for whatever
purposes and based on whatever priorities they think
are appropriate at any given moment in time. For a
large organization this means moving in different and,
at times, conflicting directions in the short-term and
without adequate ability to plan for the longer-term.
A plan is especially important when the future
involves a set of interdependent decisions, or a “system”
of decision-making. Its complexity derives from the
inter-relatedness of these decisions rather than from
the individual decisions themselves. Large and complex
organizations need to make an effort to coordinate their
activities.
At minimum, the State Plan serves as a communications tool. By improving internal communications,
State government will function more efficiently and
effectively. The State Plan serves to communicate its
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Why is the State Plan Important?
The Fundamental Issues
vision, goals, policies and the nature of its programs to regional, county and municipal government
jurisdictions.
Through the articulation of its vision, State government reveals another important planning
feature. The State Plan is about the future. The State Plan serves to get the organization’s numerous
operating parts thinking about New Jersey’s future in more disciplined ways than otherwise might occur. Planning done well will help the different parts of the organization, in this case, State departments
and agencies, regional agencies, counties and municipalities, to prepare for the inevitable, to preempt
the undesirable and to control the controllable.
Furthermore, planning around development, redevelopment and cultural and natural resource
conservation issues is especially important. The issues that will most likely arise with respect to these
concerns will have no simple cause. They will lack a quick fix.
Despite the efforts of special interests to label their antagoThe simple answer is that a
nists, there will be no easily identifiable villains. No “silver
failure to plan is tantamount
bullet” action will exist to provide a quick and easy solution.
to planning to fail!
Changes in direction will only come gradually in seeming
slow motion if at all, and then in response to plans and their
implementation over time. Competition over scarce resources may present themselves at every turn.
The Fundamental Issues
The State Plan concentrates on three fundamental issues that need to remain in sharp focus.
These issues need to be highlighted at the outset and continually referenced to so that they do not
become lost in the inevitable detail and complexity of the State Plan.
The three fundamental issues are the following:
1. Where are the most appropriate locations where future development and redevelopment
should be encouraged, and conversely where are the locations where future growth and
development should be discouraged?
2. What should be the nature of the future development and redevelopment that should be
encouraged in those appropriate locations and how might the locations where development and redevelopment should be discouraged be protected?
3. How should the numerous participants engaged in the planning process, organize themselves to effectively devise and employ the State Plan to guide development decisions and
the implementation of those decisions?
Addressing these three fundamental issues and providing the guidance necessary to arrive at
the answers is central to the purpose of the State Plan. While other important issues inevitably arise in
the course of attempting to address these issues, these three issues are the fundamental ones that the
State Plan attempts to address. They should remain prominent.
The State Planning Act (N.J.S.A. 52:18A-196 et. seq.)
In 1985, the New Jersey State Legislature found that New Jersey must plan for its future to
preserve and maintain its abundant natural, cultural, economic and social assets and its quality of life.
In response, it adopted the State Planning Act (N.J.S.A. 52:18A-196 et. seq.). Among the goals of the act
are the following:
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The State Planning Act
What the State Planning Act Directs
… conserve its natural resources, revitalize its urban centers, protect the quality of its environment, and provide needed housing and adequate public services at a reasonable cost while
promoting beneficial economic growth, development and renewal.
The State Planning Act is both simple and complex, but on its face unassailable. The State
Planning Act announced that if the State of New Jersey wants to preserve and maintain its quality of
life, it must plan for its future.
The adoption and execution of the State Planning Act in 1986
marked the start of a new era for New Jersey State Planning, but one
that built upon a long tradition that stemmed back for more than a
half-century, nearly as long as planning had occurred on the part of
New Jersey’s local government jurisdictions.
The State Planning Act was expected to bring attention to
state and regional planning. It represents an effort to redefine, but
still remain respectful to the concept of “Home Rule” in the modern
context. This understanding of “Home Rule” has a persuasive allure, rooted in American traditions of self-determination and local
democracy. Yet the cumulative impacts as population and economic
activities continue to spread across the countryside can be divisive
and costly, at times pitting one municipality against another.
Instead, the State Planning Act redefines Home Rule with the
expectation that it will lead to policies that are mutually beneficial
from multiple government level perspectives. This redefinition is
important because municipalities are faced with many infringements
that impose on their decision-making abilities and prerogatives. For
example,
ƒƒ Municipalities may not have adequate planning resources or planning capacity to face today’s
complex planning issues;
ƒƒ Municipalities may face an increased loss of control that results from the actions of neighboring
municipalities;
ƒƒ Municipalities may be imposed upon by State and county infrastructure investments, spending
programs and regulatory decisions in numerous and sometimes unanticipated ways.
ƒƒ Municipalities typically exercise land use prerogatives in reaction to developer-driven proposals, at times only taking into account short-term positive fiscal impacts due to reliance on local
property tax revenues, rather than accounting for a community’s long-term vision or potential
for long-term costs;
ƒƒ Municipalities may not be the most appropriate focus of issues related to traffic, environment or
social equity considerations because of questions of scale and overspill effects as these concerns tend to be more regional in nature and do not necessarily respect municipal boundaries.
What the State Planning Act Directs
The State Planning Act directs that the following ten important actions be taken:
1. The State Planning Act points to the need for sound and integrated statewide planning and
the coordination of statewide planning with local and regional planning organizations in
order to conserve its natural resources, revitalize its urban centers, protect the quality of its
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The State Planning Act
What the State Planning Act Directs
environment, provide needed housing and adequate public services at a reasonable cost,
while promoting beneficial economic growth, development and renewal (N.J.S.A. 53:18A196);
2. The State Planning Act establishes a 17-member State Planning Commission to be representative of State government departments, county and municipal jurisdictions and
members of the public (N.J.S.A. 52:18A-197);
3. The State Planning Act creates the Office of State Planning to assist the State Planning Commission in performing its duties and establishes the Executive Director of that Office as the
Secretary to and Chief Executive of the State Planning Commission (N.J.S.A. 52:18A-201);
4. The State Planning Act identifies as one of the major responsibilities of the State Planning
Commission the development of the State Development and Redevelopment Plan to serve
as a tool for assessing suitable locations for infrastructure, housing, economic growth and
conservation (N.J.S.A. 52:18A-196 (c));
5. The State Planning Act directs that the State Development and Redevelopment Plan should
be a coordinated, integrated and serve as a comprehensive plan for the growth, development, renewal and conservation of the state and its regions and which shall identify areas
for growth, agriculture, open space, conservation and other appropriate designations
leading to the development of the State Plan Policy Map (N.J.S.A. 52:18A-199 (a));
6. The State Planning Act requires that the State Development and Redevelopment Plan
represent a balance of development and conservation objectives best suited to meet the
needs of the state by taking into account a wide scope of substantive concerns including
land use, housing, economic development, transportation, natural resource conservation, agriculture and farmland retention, recreation, urban and suburban redevelopment,
historic preservation, public facilities and services, and inter-governmental coordination
(N.J.S.A.52:18A-200(f));
7. The State Planning Act authorizes and outlines a Cross-acceptance process as a means to
develop the State Development and Redevelopment Plan to be conducted as a process of
review, revision and re-adoption of the State Development and Redevelopment Plan on a
three-year cycle (N.J.S.A. 52:18A-202 and 52:18A-199);
8. The State Planning Act elevates and enhanced the role of county planning by empowering
county planning boards to negotiate the plan Cross-acceptance process so that county
planning boards are in effect encouraged to subject municipal plans and zoning ordinances
to a new level of scrutiny (N.J.S.A. 52:18A-202 (b));
9. The State Planning Act invites the State Planning Commission to influence future development and redevelopment by directing it to review and make recommendations to the
Governor and the State Legislature with respect to the “necessity, desirability and priority of
state infrastructure investments” (N.J.S.A. 52:18A – 199 (f));
10. The State Planning Act responds to the New Jersey Supreme Court’s Mt. Laurel Decisions
announcing that it was in part a response to the judicial decisions requiring municipalities
to provide opportunities for low- and moderate-income housing, while simultaneously
expecting that a sound and comprehensive planning process would facilitate the provision
of equal social and economic opportunity to benefit all of New Jersey’s citizens so as to
counteract a situation whereby concentrations of the poor and minorities were residing
in older urban areas in ways that jeopardized the future well-being of this state (N.J.S.A.
52:18A-196 (g) (h))
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The State Planning Act
What the State Planning Act Does Not Do
What the State Planning Act Does Not Do
Despite the specific direction provided by the State Planning Act, the State Planning Act does
not direct certain actions underlining constraints under which the State Planning Commission necessarily operates. An understanding of those constraints helps to clarify what needs to be done to make
the State Development and Redevelopment Plan and its implementation more effective. These
constraints include the following:
1. The Nature of the Cross-acceptance
Process – The State Planning Act limited
the role of the State government in general and the State Planning Commission,
more specifically, with respect to the
development of the State Plan by requiring a Cross-acceptance process as the
prescribed means to develop the State
Plan. As a result, the role of State government and the State Planning Commission
is restricted, simultaneously enhancing
the role of county planning and municipal
jurisdictions, thereby demonstrating considerable respect to municipal home rule.
2. The Nature of State Plan Implementation – The State Planning Act provides little guidance
with respect to State Plan implementation. Instead, it recommends intergovernmental
coordination as a goal, but it is not specific about the nature of that coordination or the
degree to which State departments and agencies, counties and municipalities are bound by
the State Plan. The State Planning Act provides a broad set of goals that presumably serve
as a guide to decision-making, but leaves the actual business of decision-making to others.
3. Statutory Overlap and Potential Conflicts – State Plan implementation is further complicated by the fact that despite the wide sweep of the State Planning Act it does not address
the way that the State Plan should reconcile already existing statutes and additional enactments that might be passed subsequent to its enactment, that touch on the same or similar
substantive questions. To what extent should the State Planning Act and the State Plan
have influence with respect to these pre-existing and future statutory enactments?
The Role of the State Plan
The State Plan is intended to serve as a guide for public and private sector investment for New
Jersey’s future. The State Plan is a policy document for state, regional, county and municipal government departments and agencies. It should be employed to guide and inform their functional plans,
policies, investment decisions, spending practices and regulatory decisions.
The State Plan is different from State department and agency plans and county and municipal
master plans. State departments and agencies should review their plans, policies and regulations and
make appropriate modifications within the scope of department or agency authority. If the necessary
modifications exceed that authority, it may seek to obtain that authority through normal legislative or
rule-making processes. While the State Plan is voluntary for counties and municipalities, when county
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The Role of the State Plan
and municipal master plans are updated, they should be modified to reflect the provisions of the State
Plan.
The State Plan is not intended to be regulatory. It is intended to be a guide, a blueprint, a
leadership document, to provide a framework for decision-making. The State Plan should inform
regulatory decisions in a manner similar to the ways that it informs infrastructure investment, spending programs and tax policy decisions. Ideally, the State Plan should serve as a guide to improve the
coordination, integration and alignment of these diverse policies more effectively achieve the State
Plan’s vision and goals.
The State Plan approach is very different from and easily distinguishable from a regulatory
approach. In fact, the State Plan if properly employed can be an effective means to counteract the
deficiencies that so often plague regulation. While it is important to acknowledge that regulations
have been helpful in cleaning up the environment, and making
significant improvements in other areas, regulations frequently
The State Plan approach
suffer from a number of inherent flaws.
Among the inherent flaws of a regulatory approach is
the lack of coordination across programs within the executive
branch; the absence of deliberation to reconcile conflicts or to
establish accountability; the difficulty of “capture” when a narrow factional interest successfully puts its stamp on a particular
regulation at the expense of some wider calculation of the
public interest.
is not reacting to prior
abuses. Instead it poses
a vision, attempting to
build consensus around
that preferred future.
In addition, regulations impose costs that are rarely if ever calculated. They tend to be enacted
to remedy a specific abuse, but are prospectively applied in more general and uniform ways. They
frequently lose sight of tailored solutions, when a single approach seldom fits neatly with the variety
of situations it seeks to address.
The State Plan is not reacting to prior abuses. Instead it poses a vision, attempting to build
consensus around that preferred future; then disaggregating that vision into a set of attainable goals
that might be reached through effective strategy and sets of public policies honed to achieve them.
Monitoring and evaluation provides the necessary feedback to make the adjustments to further
sharpen those policies and to ensure that they are meeting their stated objectives. Accountability is
achieved by subscribing to a highly interactive public participatory process, or in State Plan parlance,
the “Cross-acceptance” process.
The State’s resource allocation decisions will then be influenced by the alignment of county and
municipal plans and regulations with the vision and goals of the State Plan. The State Plan’s purpose is
to guide when and where State funds should be expended to achieve the vision and goals of the State
Plan which derived from the State Planning Act’s direction.
To strengthen its accountability to the public, the State Planning Commission articulated a
fundamental policy to guide its actions. The first State Plan policy is to ensure that its implementation
is guided by equity standards. Accordingly, it is the intent of the State Planning Commission that
the benefits and burdens of implementing the State Plan should be equitably distributed among all
its citizens. Where implementation of the goals, policies and objectives of the State Plan affects the
reasonable development expectations of property owners or disproportionately affects the equity
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The State Plan’s Structure
of other citizens, departments and agencies on all appropriate levels of government should employ
programs that mitigate such impacts.
The State Plan’s Structure
The State Plan’s Structure consists of the following six main components:
ƒƒ Vision Statement – Provides a description of New Jersey’s future in 2030 when the goals of the
State Plan are expected to be achieved along with the likely major challenges facing the state
during the period between 2010 and 2030.
ƒƒ Goals – Reiterates the goals contained in the State Planning Act.
ƒƒ Statewide Policies – Provide more specific guidance for State, regional, county and municipal
government officials on a wide range of public policy issues in 20 different public policy
categories.
ƒƒ State Plan Policy Map – Provides the geographic component, identifying and locating Planning
Areas, Centers, and other geographical features that are important to the State Plan’s guidance
function.
ƒƒ Resource Planning & Management Structure – Promotes the preferred forms for future
growth and development in New Jersey, including the promotion of growth and development
in already developed areas where infrastructure capacity already exists and designing and
locating compact, mixed-use communities surrounded by protected natural landscapes on the
metropolitan fringe and still rural and environmentally sensitive areas of New Jersey.
ƒƒ Monitoring & Evaluation – Identifies key indicators and targets for achieving the State Plan’s
goals and summarizes the findings of the Infrastructure Needs Assessment (INA) and Impact
Assessments (IA).
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The State Plan Baseline
The State Plan Baseline
An assessment of current conditions and trends is a necessary element of preparing a credible
plan for the future. The State Planning Commission retained the services of the Rutgers Center for
Urban Policy Research (CUPR) to provide a statistical analysis of New Jersey’s demographics, including
population, housing and employment projections. This information is discussed in more detail in the
Impact Analysis (IA) and Infrastructure Needs Assessment (INA) that are companion documents to the
State Plan. A summary of that data is presented here to provide a statistical context for the State Plan.
There are several different sets of projections that have been compiled in addition to the CUPR
analysis prepared for the State Plan. The New Jersey Department of Labor, the Council on Affordable
Housing (COAH) and the three Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) that serve New Jersey
have all recently prepared population, housing and employment projections for the state. These
projections have utilized differing methodologies for preparation, project to different time horizons or
provide different breakdowns of statistical information. Despite differing methodologies of preparation, the data estimates do not vary to any great degree. However, these projections should be recognized for what they are, i.e., estimates of future changes in population, employment and housing.
The projections prepared by CUPR for use with the State Plan are but one set of guidance
statistics. They must be viewed in light of other similar analyses that have been conducted and are
subject to changing conditions in the future. These data inform the State Plan and provide one part
of a complex set of factors that will guide the implementation of the State Plan’s goals and policies as
well as local planning actions designed to further those goals and policies. These estimates of future
trends are valuable planning tools as they provide an outlook regarding the important factors that
will affect the sustainability of New Jersey from environmental, economic and social standpoints.
They also provide an indication of and identify the critical issues that must be taken into account. The
trends identified by these projections offer valuable information that will assist in formulating the
strategies and methods necessary to achieve the State Plan’s vision and goals.
The State Plan’s Vision for New Jersey in the Year 2030
What should New Jersey be in 2030? A vision draws on the past. The past is its prologue. The
present is its opportunity. Opportunity may knock more than once, but rarely does it wait very long.
The choices that are made today will influence the future.
The State Plan’s vision is rooted in New Jersey’s natural, built, social and political environments.
The vision was first sketched by the New Jersey State Legislature in the State Planning Act. It has been
elaborated upon in the two previous iterations of the State Plan and by the State Planning Commission through the conduct of its work since it was established. That vision is further augmented by this
version of the State Plan.
In 2030, New Jersey promises to continue to be a unique and special place. It will continue to
be influenced by its proximity to the two large metropolitan centers just beyond its borders to the
northeast and to its southwest; and the important roles that it plays as both a gateway to the North
American continent and as a corridor within the large northeastern corridor of the United States.
New Jersey’s natural resources and cultural traditions will continue to shape its future. For those
who are familiar with New Jersey, it will remain much more than simply a series of exits on the New
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Diversity
Jersey Turnpike or Garden State Parkway. Land use patterns and development design will distinguish
its diverse communities and continue to celebrate its special places.
New Jersey’s vision for 2030 will be rooted in five important themes. The five themes are
diversity, accessibility, sustainability, prosperity and livability.
Diversity
New Jersey’s demographic diversity
contributes to a distinctive New Jersey culture
that has been evident throughout much of its
history. Between 2010 and 2030, more attention was paid to its rich cultural history, one
that stems back to the colonial days of the 18th
century through its industrial revolution during
the 19th and early 20th centuries and through its
rapid suburban expansion in the Post World War
II era during the second half of the 20th century.
During this 20-year period, numerous historic
sites were restored and renovated to add to New
Jersey’s attractive character. New Jersey’s special
contributions that it made as “The Crossroads of the American Revolution” have been acknowledged
and connected. Its cultural history that reflects three centuries of successive waves of immigrants as
well as its rich African-American past have been celebrated.
New Jersey’s compelling natural resources add to its diversity. New Jersey has its highlands and
its shore, with everything in between. After engaging in a multi-decade State Plan strategy to combat
sprawl that threatened to homogenize development’s spread throughout the State, New Jersey’s
natural diversity is more evident. Its landscape in 2030 is more easily discernible with population and
economic activity concentrated in centers connected by limited access highway corridor connections
that are increasingly also employed by public transit, both light-rail and regional-rail connections.
New Jersey’s well-populated swath that begins in the northeast with Bergen, lower Passaic,
Hudson, Essex and Union counties and extends through Central Jersey into Middlesex, Mercer, Monmouth and Ocean counties, but then leans to the southwest in to western Burlington and Camden,
and spreads a bit into Gloucester County provides much of the geographic focus for much of New
Jersey’s population and economic activities. The Highlands in the northwest and the Pinelands in the
south lie beyond the reach of this swath.
In New Jersey’s less populated regions, town centers, villages and even smaller hamlets have
expanded. However, they continue to be surrounded by sparsely developed environs. The environs
are protected in different and more sophisticated ways from intense development. More than a few
town centers are expanded traditional regional centers and rural towns. Other centers have emerged
more recently to accommodate additional growth in formerly agricultural and environmentally sensitive regions.
This diverse land use pattern poses an alternative to the sprawling development that seemed
inevitable when New Jersey began to engage in state planning at the end of the 20th century. The
alternative posed by the State Plan’s vision offers New Jersey residents a wider range of lifestyle
choices from spruced-up urban centers to smaller town and village life.
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The State Plan’s Vision for New Jersey in the Year 2030
Diversity
Central New Jersey Region
Existing Conditions: A view of the Central Jersey region,
stretching from Burlington County, NJ and Bucks County,
PA north to Hartford and New Haven, CT, with the Delaware River in the foreground left and Long Island Sound
in the upper right.
Trend Development: New development continues to
sprawl. Older cities and towns decline further as a result
of disinvestment. Farmland, open space and natural
features are lost. The character of existing communities is
eroded. The region experiences expansion of low-density,
automobile-dependent, single-use development.
Plan Development: The region reinvests in its existing
centers and creates new centers with distinct identities
and a balance of housing, employment and open
space. Farmland, large contiguous areas of open
lands and important natural features are protected.
Waterfronts are revitalized and accessible to the
public. Transit systems are upgraded and extended,
increasing ridership and providing a framework for
further regional development. The region continues to
grow in a healthy and more sustainable pattern while
its places retain their character.
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Accessibility
Accessibility
New Jersey in 2030 is more accessible than it was at the outset of this planning period in 2010.
Commuter and light-rail systems have been added to urban centers and first suburbs making them
more attractive places to live. Transportation system decision-makers strategically targeted those
communities with improved and more reliable public transit services, building upon and expanding
former bus and/or rail lines in those places. Residents began to get the services they needed. They
responded by relocating along more accessible transportation corridors. People were able to more
conveniently reach a variety of desired destinations. Consequently, a smaller percentage of New
Jersey residents chose to own and use private automobiles as their primary means of transportation.
The question of accessibility was tackled in numerous
ways throughout the planning period. Already, at the onset of
this period, road-building was no longer viewed as a simple
antidote to traffic congestion. The New Jersey Department of
Transportation (NJDOT) along with NJ Transit resurrected its
New Jersey’s Future in Transportation (NJFIT) program, acknowledging the importance of local land-use decision-making on
transportation planning. Encouraging mixed land-uses and discouraging segregated land use zoning as ways to reduce traffic
congestion became more commonplace. The initiative involved
extensive public outreach and education to local jurisdictions as
well as significant land-use and zoning reform.
New Jersey in 2030 is
more accessible than it
was at the outset of this
planning period in 2010.
Commuter and light-rail
systems have been added
to urban centers and first
suburbs making them
more attractive places to
live.
In addition to the increasing importance of public
transportation alternatives, land-use reform focused on creating
more compact, densely developed and more walkable communities that encouraged not just public
transit through increased densities, but also expanded opportunities for both pedestrians and bicyclists. The idea of “complete streets” was taken seriously.
Accessibility was also improved by reducing traffic congestion through improved travel demand management. Pricing was one method employed to manage travel demand. Its implementation
on toll roads was facilitated by the expanded use of electronic toll collection devices. Travel demand
was also better managed during this period through voluntary flex-time and telecommuting arrangements encouraged by the state’s largest employers. Enhancing the roles of Transportation Management Agencies (TMA’s) throughout New Jersey, increasing fuel taxes, and the strategic placement
of park-and-rides throughout the State further reduced travel demand at peak travel times without
unnecessarily inconveniencing the commuting public.
Sustainability
New Jersey in 2030 evolved as a more sustainable place to live. New Jersey became a state that
struck the appropriate balance between the economic
needs of its people and the protection of its natural
and cultural resources as a legacy to its future generations. New Jersey emerged as a place where present
and future generations enjoyed the benefits of the
State’s natural beauty and cultural heritage while
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The State Plan’s Vision for New Jersey in the Year 2030
Prosperity
engaging the rest of the nation and the world through its economic productivity. By 2030, New
Jersey’s residents benefited from green building practices, used agricultural resources more efficiently
and effectively, and did a much better job at conserving energy than was true at the outset of this
planning period.
Sustainability as a concept connoted that the production
and consumption of goods and services can be accomplished
New Jersey in 2030
without harming and even by restoring and improving the natuevolved as a more
ral environment. Sustainability acknowledged that the natural
sustainable place to live.
environment may have limits. That environment does not have
a limitless capacity to absorb and assimilate waste or to provide
the “natural capital” for unlimited human consumption. Limits
or “carrying capacities” may be expanded and stretched through engineered solutions and infrastructure investments, but always at a cost. The State Plan serves to make the nature and extent of these
costs, financial and non-financial, more transparent and explicit than they might otherwise be.
In this way, sustainability clarified that the political dichotomy that earlier occurred in defining
choices between the economy and environment protection was indeed a false one. Nor was sustainability a choice between an unfettered free market or complete government control. Rather skillfully
fashioning appropriate regulations to meet competing social priorities while making important
infrastructure investments and providing meaningful incentives and disincentives through tax, regulatory and spending programs enable the marketplace to function more effectively to meet socially
beneficial and equitable goals.
The growing interest in controlling greenhouse gas emissions led to new ways to power motor
vehicles and even car-sharing programs to limit their use between 2010 and 2030. New housing and
commercial developments adopted technological advances to market themselves as environmentally
friendly and carbon neutral through the application of Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design (LEED) as the State’s preferred building system. Innovative solar and wind technologies also
added to the inventory of renewable energy sources. Many households even came to employ smart
grid technology and earn money by selling power back to the local grid when it was needed the most.
Localy grown produce on agricultural lands, in community gardens and even on urban rooftops
by 2030 supplied fresh produce to an increasing number of New Jersey’s households. Farmers’ markets, too, located in downtown centers and at times using roadside stands contributed to the notion
of the state’s sustainability. New Jersey’s air and water quality also improved as sprawl slowed and
eventually reversed itself in some places.
Prosperity
Adapting to changes in the global economy of which New Jersey’s economy is clearly a part,
New Jersey attracted and retained businesses along with highly talented and skilled workers. Businesses pursued new paths of economic growth that were more sustainable, adhering to State Plan
goals. These enterprises concentrated in more livable communities that people could more easily
afford and could walk, bike and use public transit to get around. As the state added centers, new retail
and commercial office space clusters developed where innovation and new businesses grew. Economic success supported center-based development with improved access to public transportation,
culture and the arts. The cities and towns were where more companies started up and expanded.
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Prosperity
This growth was buttressed by a sound business
climate that included a streamlined land-use regulatory process, tax incentives and reduced business expense through
strategic infrastructure investments and cost-effective
public services that combined to enable New Jersey to
retain its status among the most wealthy and prosperous
states in the nation.
Throughout this period, New
Jersey’s most important asset
remained its human capital,
which was nearly unmatched
across the country.
Throughout this period, New Jersey’s most important asset remained its human capital, which was nearly
unmatched across the country. New Jersey continued to have creative and knowledge-based occupations in the areas of physical, social and life sciences, engineering, business and law.
Retaining and continuing to attract human capital became an acknowledged essential to New
Jersey’s diversified economy. To attract and retain the best and the brightest, the region provided first
class institutions of higher learning, major university centers as well as productive two- and four-year
institutions. Those institutions of higher learning connected to knowledge-based jobs and creative
occupations. Consequently, New Jersey’s highly educated and skilled workforce was continuously
replenished throughout the 20-year period.
Green industries emerged as especially important to New Jersey, a state that was scarred by the
challenges left by its industrial age legacy. The acceleration of brownfield clean-ups became a significant boost to its economic redevelopment. Much of its continuing prosperity was also based upon
its gateway status to expanding global trade and investments in its sustainable ports in both Port
Newark/Elizabeth and along the Delaware in proximity to Philadelphia. The strength of the economy
was also evidenced by strong growth in its traditional business enterprises related to health care,
pharmaceuticals, chemistry, transportation and logistics, high technology, finance, insurance, real
estate, travel and tourism.
This prosperity also transformed aspects of New Jersey’s predominantly suburban landscape.
Shopping and office centers were retrofitted during this period, making them more accessible and
more attractive places to live, work and shop. Greyfields, once abandoned or underutilized suburban
strips particularly in older urban centers and first suburbs, were retrofitted and redeveloped. Housing
was added to increase densities in places where adequate infrastructure already existed. Alternative
transportation modes became more feasible in suburban areas. Developers and local governments
realized that this suburban transformation was advantageous to both the public and private sectors’
bottom lines. Increasingly cost-conscious consumers also found a less expensive lifestyle more to their
liking.
New Jersey’s historic and new rural centers surrounded by agriculturally rural and environmentally sensitive environs accommodated added growth and achieved restored and new vitality, while
maintaining rural character and open spaces in the adjacent environs. This arrangement was achieved
through more cooperative and regional planning among large landowners, farmers, counties and
municipal governments through the application of more effective land-use planning and implementation tools such as strategic open space acquisitions and transfer development rights, while carefully
avoiding any violations of the equity principle that is an integral part of the State Plan.
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The State Plan’s Vision for New Jersey in the Year 2030
Livability
Livability
A renewed focus on more affordable and workforce housing in proximity to employment
opportunities made for a more livable New Jersey during this period. Residents experienced the
resources to make responsible choices about where to live. Those choices were no longer constrained
by unreasonable costs. The region’s housing stock provided more options to people searching for
single-family homes, urban style condominiums, assisted living for those with special needs and
student housing all at prices that each could afford.
Concentrating development in centers provided residents with greater access to the variety
of services that they required. Residents felt more secure in their homes and communities. Schools
were placed more closely to where people lived. Development taking place in more walkable centers
proved safer for pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists further strengthened by continued public
outreach campaigns and public safety efforts. A coordinated plan increased awareness and response
to residents’ safety concerns.
Understanding also increased during this
period that individual health quality is not simply
a matter of genetics, personal behaviors, lifestyle
choices or individual medical care. Instead, a growing body of research demonstrated that a high
degree of suburban sprawl may be a contributor to
chronic diseases such as asthma, diabetes, high blood
pressure and obesity. Local governments began to
address public health issues through comprehensive
plans and land-use tools that include long-term
strategies for healthy communities through wellness
and preventive health measures. In addition, unexpected emergencies were less likely to lead to lifealtering situations as public health-related services were more efficiently and appropriately delivered
at less cost and more frequently through shared services promoted by the State, but implemented by
local jurisdictions.
The Challenges to the State Plan’s Vision
New Jersey faces a number of important challenges that will be necessary to confront and overcome if it is going to attain the State Plan’s vision for 2030. Among the challenges are the following:
ƒƒ Will New Jersey meet the changing economic demands of the 21st Century?
New Jersey is faced with serious economic and employment opportunity challenges. Its
economy benefited historically from its geographic location. The state is home to a significant
number of large corporations that chose to be located in New Jersey. The State’s major businesses continue to include chemicals, pharmaceuticals, telecommunications, transportation
and logistics, petroleum-based products, insurance and tourism.
The Port of New York and New Jersey is especially important to New Jersey’s future economic
growth. It is the largest port complex on the Eastern Seaboard and the third largest port
complex in the United States. It is a major gateway to the North American continent. However,
currently, the Port of New York and New Jersey faces serious challenges including the need
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to modernize and expand port facilities and improve
its accessibility to ensure its global competitiveness.
The Governor’s Economic Growth Strategy released
in November 2007 highlighted six important priorities. Those priorities include marketing New Jersey
for economic growth by partnering with the State’s
businesses; developing a world-class workforce
through appropriate educational investments;
promoting sustainable growth with a particular
emphasis on the State’s cities by making strategic
infrastructure investments to support economic
growth and protect the environment; nurturing
the development of new technologies and continuing to ensure that the state is an innovation
leader; encouraging entrepreneurship and the growth of small, minority-owned and womenowned businesses; and taking the necessary steps to enhance the global competitiveness of
New Jersey’s businesses. Investments in New Jersey’s institutions of higher education for both
research development and for workforce education and training are also essential.
Improvements to New Jersey’s quality of life are also important to its economic vitality. By maintaining an attractive quality of life, New Jersey will be better able to retain and attract both the
businesses and the highly-trained and well-paid employees that it seeks. The implementation
of the State Plan provides a framework to achieve that attractive quality of life that will support
the amount and nature of economic activities that New Jersey seeks.
ƒƒ Will New Jersey change the nature of its settlement pattern and transportation
system to become more energy efficient and reduce greenhouse gas emissions?
Relatively low-density and sprawling land use patterns continue to demand high levels of
energy consumption at increasing costs while forcing continued dependence on oil imports.
Energy consumption is affected both by single-family, detached housing by the suburban
lifestyle and by the dependence on automobiles and trucks that are the predominant means of
servicing this sprawling settlement pattern.
New Jersey is facing a challenge to modify its settlement pattern and the transportation system
that services it to reduce energy consumption and dependence on foreign oil. Alternative
energy sources can play a role. For example, solar, wind, biomass, nuclear and hydrogen energy
sources have far less impact on air and water quality than burning fossil fuel. Unlike fossil fuel,
the sun and wind are renewable energy resources. The application to the suburban settlement
pattern has yet to be tested but needs to be applied.
The successive waves of suburban economic growth and real estate development in the postWorld War II period were predicated on major additions to the State’s transportation infrastructure. The economies of the 1960’s and 1970’s were buoyed by enhanced transportation
capacity provided by the region’s toll roads. The prosperity of the 1980’s and 1990’s relied upon
additional mobility spurred by the completion of the Interstate Highway System. However,
significant changes were evident by the mid-1990’s.
Adding transportation capacity came under more careful scrutiny. Traffic congestion remained
a serious concern despite the massive amounts of highway construction that had previously
occurred. NJDOT acknowledged that addressing traffic congestion requires paying more attenNew Jersey State Development and Redevelopment Plan
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The Challenges to the State Plan’s Vision
tion to land-use planning and travel demand management techniques in the face of increased
public resistance to new highway construction. NJDOT began to change its views on adding
lane miles to relieve traffic congestion.
In addition, the more recently released NJDEP Greenhouse Gas Emissions Report underscores
the importance of the land-use and transportation connection to reduce energy consumption through the reduction of Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) and decreasing greenhouse gas
emissions.
ƒƒ Will New Jersey make the necessary infrastructure investments to ensure future
economic prosperity?
New Jersey has pressing infrastructure needs. Infrastructure funding that once flowed more
abundantly from the Federal government was reduced and eventually eliminated. New Jersey
like other states established the Environmental Infrastructure Trust (EIT) to replace opportunities that were once grant-funded with loans. These loan opportunities carry additional costs
that some municipalities have difficulty meeting. Maintenance and operations too often defer
necessary attention that infrastructure deserves. The priority infrastructure investments that
New Jersey needs to address include railroad and highway bridges that have for too long been
neglected, combined sewers that overflow in storm events, segments of the interstate highway
system that are now approaching normal life expectancies. Adequate water supplies and wastewater treatment capacity to meet the needs of continued population and economic growth are
also growing concerns in environmentally sensitive regions of the state.
In addition, infrastructure investments to meet the changing demands of the 21st century’s
dynamic information technologies and demands for alternative energy sources that reduce
greenhouse gas emissions.
ƒƒ Will New Jersey engage in significant regulatory
reform?
Regulation has to be
intelligent and datadriven while carefully
balancing competing
social priorities.
These priorities, in part, emanate from the recognition
that New Jersey has to change the perception and to a
lesser but important extent the reality that it is a highcost state in which to do business. Some of these costs
are within government’s control such as regulations
and taxes. Others are not, for example utility and labor
costs. By 2030, New Jersey will have to make progress in
addressing these concerns to ensure that it is economically competitive to guarantee its future
economic prosperity in both national and global arenas.
Encouraging economic activities will require a review of the business climate in general and
regulatory reform in particular. Regulation has to be intelligent and data-driven while carefully
balancing competing social priorities. Insistence on standards of statewide uniformity that fail
to take into account local conditions and a tendency to exceed Federal government standards
that are often more restrictive than adjacent states carry additional costs burdens that make the
state less competitive.
ƒƒ Will New Jersey modify its heavy reliance on property taxes to finance local public
services?
Numerous municipal government planning decisions that affect statewide concerns trace
themselves back to the heavy dependence by of New Jersey municipalities upon local property
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taxes to finance municipal services. This dependence leads to municipal decisions that weigh
short-term fiscal impacts related to specific projects more heavily than long-term considerations. Unfortunately, from a state and regional perspective, these concerns that affect the
state’s general welfare are left too frequently to municipal decision-making. The most conspicuous examples include opportunities for affordable housing, school finance and natural resource
protection.
Too often, under these circumstances, the local calculation relies on persuading local public
officials and their constituents that the particular development before them will generate
sufficient property tax revenues to offset any increases in municipal costs. This approach is a
flawed one for making rational land-use decisions. Under these circumstances, until there is a
way to pay for public services from some regional or state source to have it based less on real
estate development, competition among municipalities will continue to threaten to undermine
any semblance of rational land-use planning.
ƒƒ Will New Jersey maintain its level of prosperity in the face of what is likely to be
slowed suburban growth?
The growth of sprawling suburbs will slow during this 20-year period. The conversion of
farmland, forests and environmentally sensitive land areas to large-lot, low-density housing
subdivisions, shopping malls and office parks will decrease when contrasted with the preceding
20-year period. The slower growth will result from a combination of social, economic and political forces that began with demographic shifts leading to lifestyle changes that commenced
even before the turn of the 21st century. Adjustments to gradually higher energy prices, encouraging residents to travel less, especially by automobile, also accelerated lifestyle changes.
They will have the effect of reducing real estate development on the metropolitan periphery
in fringe, rural and environmentally sensitive areas. The recent collapse of the real estate
market and mortgage credit tightening contributed to changes in the direction of growth and
development.
The public policy direction depicted in earlier versions of the State Plan, but difficult to implement, is gradually becoming more compatible with market forces. Large landowners have
begun to view government as a more attractive purchaser of their holdings, especially in light
of previously adopted regulations that made development in some rural and environmentally
sensitive regions more difficult. NJDEP wastewater rules and rules adopted with respect to
stormwater management and permitting, developments on septic systems and protections for
threatened and endangered species habitats further curtailed development in outlying areas.
The adoption and implementation of the Highlands Regional Master Plan had similar impacts
on a region-wide basis in northwest New Jersey. The previously protected Pinelands region
experienced similar changes two decades earlier.
No new major roadways were built during this 20-year period, a period instead characterized by
a renewed emphasis on public transportation and multi-modal transportation alternatives to
automobiles and trucks such as the ARC Tunnel under the Hudson River and the Transit Oriented Developments (TODs) that will be spawned by it. New regulations introduced to address
climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions will reinforce the tendency towards
more compact, more densely developed, mixed-use and walkable community designs.
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The State Plan’s Vision for New Jersey in the Year 2030
The Challenges to the State Plan’s Vision
ƒƒ Will already developed Urban Centers and first suburbs be willing and able to accommodate additional development and redevelopment to compensate for the
slow down in suburban expansion?
Hudson County municipalities along with medium–sized cities and towns in other counties
throughout New Jersey underwent substantial growth during the preceding 20-year period.
A number of positive signs related to the redevelopment of urban areas buoyed the fortunes
of several large urban centers early in this period. Some of this redevelopment was impelled
by the strength of the overspill effects from New York City’s economy, which has since been
in question. However, some of this redevelopment is also part of wider trends leading to the
rediscovery of urban living and a mild movement back to cities.
Small- to medium-sized cities throughout New Jersey underwent significant revitalization
during this period. Those that had access to public transit and could take advantage of TOD did
especially well. The Riverline municipalities in Burlington County fall into this category as did
towns on the Port Authority Transit Corporation (PATCO) line and notable municipalities in
northern and central Jersey such as Red Bank in Monmouth County, Rahway and Cranford in
Union County and Maplewood and South Orange in Essex County. Hudson County municipalities benefited from the establishment and operations of the new light rail line spanning the
county with anticipated extensions reaching into eastern Bergen County.
A number of county seats, including New
Brunswick, Morristown, and Somerville, benefited from rail connections. They were able to
capitalize on emerging urban opportunities.
Their rising fortunes, each with a unique story,
provide additional models for New Jersey to
showcase. This growing list of redeveloping
urban municipalities became longer and more
diverse as the horizon year of 2030 approach.
These redeveloping municipalities will have
to keep pace with increased infrastructure
capacity demands and improvements and infill
support to match increased redevelopment
activities. Changing zoning requirements will also need to keep pace. Parking issues should be
addressed in light of newly calculated demands that reflect changing social and economic circumstances and the growing convenience of multi-modal transportation alternatives. Prudent
redevelopment took advantage of environmental amenities to further bolster redevelopment
opportunities through thoughtful urban design. All this required added planning capacity. In
some cases, local community resistance may need to be overcome.
These municipalities also face concerns raised by incumbent low- and moderate-income residents related to gentrification or the displacement of the incumbent population by new, higher
income people if reinvestment occurs too dramatically and without appropriate safeguards.
Housing subsidy commitments made by previous generations will soon expire and need to
be renewed. In the absence of solving the State’s persistent affordable housing dilemma, the
maintenance of its existing affordable housing stock in urban centers and first suburbs will be
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State Plan Goals
The Challenges to the State Plan’s Vision
critically important. The proximity of this housing to employment activity centers will make the
maintenance and improvement of this housing stock important.
State Plan Goals
Translating the State Development and Redevelopment Plan vision into goals is an attempt
to convert aspects of the vision into logical, practical and achievable ends. The eight original goals
of the State Plan were derived from the State Planning Act by the State Planning Commission over a
long period of deliberation. A ninth goal, recognizing the emerging issues of Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Fossil Fuel Dependence and Climate Change, has been added. The State Plan Goals include the
following:
1. Revitalize the State’s Cities and Towns – Revitalize New Jersey’s cities and towns by investing
wisely and sufficiently in improvements in their infrastructure systems, public spending programs, tax incentives and regulatory programs to leverage private investment and to encourage infill and redevelopment in ways that are consistent with the State Plan’s vision and goals.
2. Conserve the State’s Natural Resources and Systems – Conserve the State’s natural resources
and systems by planning the location and intensity of growth in ways to maintain natural
resources and systems capacities and make the necessary infrastructure investments to protect
natural resources and systems in ways that guide growth and development that are consistent
with the State Plan’s vision and goals.
3. Promote Beneficial Economic Growth – Promote beneficial economic growth in locations and
in ways that improve the quality of life and the standard of living for all New Jersey residents.
Provide infrastructure in advance of, or concurrent with, the impacts of new development
sufficient to maintain adequate facility standards. Encourage partnerships and collaborative
planning with the private sector and capitalize on the State’s strategic location, and economic
strengths including its existing business enterprises, entrepreneurship, the research and development capacity of its institutions of higher learning, skilled workforce, cultural diversity and
logistic facilities in ways that are consistent with the State Plan’s vision and goals.
4. Protect the Environment, Prevent and Clean up Pollution – Protect the environment, prevent
and clean up pollution by planning for growth in compact forms at locations, densities and
intensities that protect land, air and water quality. Allow expeditious regulatory reviews and
encourage multi-modal transportation alternatives to the automobile to help achieve and
maintain acceptable air quality standards. Develop performance standards to create incentives
to prevent and reduce pollution and toxic emissions at the source, to conserve resources and to
protect public health. Promote development at appropriate locations and in ways to promote
environmental protection and reduce pollution that are consistent with the State Plan’s vision
and goals.
5. Provide Adequate Public Facilities and Services at Reasonable Cost – Provide adequate public
facilities and services by supporting investments based on comprehensive planning and by
providing financial incentives at reasonable cost for jurisdictions that cooperate in providing
public infrastructure and shared services. Encourage the use of infrastructure needs assessments and life-cycle costing. Provide adequate public facilities in ways that are consistent with
the State Plan’s vision and goals.
6. Provide Adequate Housing at Reasonable Cost – Provide adequate housing at reasonable cost
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The State Plan Strategy
Statewide Policies
through public/private partnerships that create and maintain a full range of attractive, affordable, and environmentally sensitively-designed and developed housing, particularly for those
most in need, at densities and locations that provide greater efficiencies and serve to support
public transportation alternatives and reduce commuter time and expense by being easily
accessible to employment, retail, cultural, civic and recreational opportunities in ways that are
consistent with the State Plan’s vision and goals.
7. Preserve and Enhance Areas with Historic, Cultural, Scenic Open Space, and Recreational
Value – Preserve, enhance, and use historic, cultural, scenic and recreational assets by collaborative planning, design, investment and management techniques. Locate and design development and redevelopment and supporting infrastructure to improve access to and protect these
sites. Support the important role of the arts in contributing to community life, civic beauty and
redevelopment in ways that are consistent with the State Plan’s vision and goals.
8. Ensure Sound, Coordinated and Integrated Statewide
Planning – Ensure sound, coordinated and integrated
statewide planning by using the State Plan as a guide
to planning and growth-related decisions at all levels of
government in ways that are consistent with the State
Plan’s vision and goals.
9. Increase Energy Efficiencies and Reduce Greenhouse
Gas Emissions – Increase Energy Efficiencies and Reduce
Greenhouse Gas Emissions by promoting the improved
coordination and integration of transportation planning
and land-use planning and decision-making to reduce VMT; and by the siting, development,
design and use of green-building construction materials in ways that are consistent with the
State Plan’s vision and goals.
The State Plan Strategy
Strategy is the way to achieve the vision through the attainment of specific goals. Vision and
goals absent a strategy are just a dream. A strategy is critical to provide both the logic and detail to
get from here to there. The State Plan Strategy is to employ Statewide Policies, State Plan Policy Map
(SPPM), the Resource Planning and Management Structure, which includes Planning Areas and its
Centers Hierarchy, and the Cross-acceptance process to achieve the Vision and Goals of the State Plan.
Statewide Policies
The Statewide Policies are designed to improve both the planning and coordination of public
policy among all levels of government through flexible application. The Statewide Policies address 20
substantive areas. These policies provide guidance for state and local planning initiatives. Using the
SPPM as guidance, these policies are applied to each Planning Area, Centers and Environs in unique,
but appropriate ways to achieve the goals of the State Planning Act.
1. Equity – Equity, as a State Plan fundamental policy principle, should serve as a guide to the
implementation of the State Plan to be considered and taken into account with respect to the
implementation of all State Plan policies.
The Challenge: To preserve the Equity concept as it pertained to land values in previous State Plans,
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New Jersey State Development and Redevelopment Plan
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The State Plan Strategy
Statewide Policies
but to add to it by incorporating concepts of social equity and environmental justice as aspects of
Sustainability.
2. Comprehensive Planning – The State Plan is a comprehensive plan as its is comprised of a
vision, goals, strategy, statewide policies, a Resource Planning and Management Structure
along with implementation steps and a way to monitor and evaluate actions taken pursuant
to the State Plan. It is a legislatively-directed initiative to guide State government’s executive
branch while improving the coordination and integration of State government plans with those
of regional, county and municipal jurisdictions.
The Challenge: To draw upon the numerous functional plans of State Departments and agencies as
well as the numerous regional, county and municipal plans to develop a State Plan that is comprehensive and respectful, while also pointing to strategic directions for the State of New Jersey’s Executive Branch and its regional, county and municipal jurisdictions.
3. Public Investment Priorities – Accommodate New Jersey’s projected population and employment growth, development and redevelopment through a set of consistent public investment
priorities.
The Challenge: To devise a general guide for State, regional, county and municipal decision-makers to
influence public investment decisions in ways that will be consistent with the State Plan’s vision and
goals and without loss to population and employment growth, development and redevelopment.
4. Infrastructure Investments –Provide public
infrastructure and related services more
efficiently by restoring, maintaining and investing in infrastructure systems to guide growth,
to promote development and redevelopment
in Metropolitan and Suburban Planning Areas
(Planning Areas 1, 2) and in centers in appropriate locations and ways in the Fringe, Rural
and Environmentally Sensitive Planning Areas
(Planning Areas 3, 4, 5), while discouraging
development in the environs adjacent to or
surrounding those centers, appropriately phased and timed in accordance with the vision and
goals of the State Plan.
The Challenge: To more efficiently and effectively plan, design, invest in, construct and maintain public infrastructure and related services in ways that are consistent with the vision and goals of the State
Plan as a means of meeting New Jersey’s infrastructure needs for the 21st Century.
5. Economic Development – Promote beneficial economic growth to improve New Jersey’s
quality of life and standard of living by encouraging economic development through facilitating access to capital, supporting research and development, promoting appropriate education
and training, building strategically upon the State’s economic and geographic strengths, and
influencing the location of employment activities in proximity to affordable and workforce
housing, accessible to multi-modal transportation alternatives with facilities that are planned
and constructed in environmentally sound ways, and in accordance with the vision and goals
of the State Plan.
The Challenge: To develop and implement a long-term, coherent and effective economic developNew Jersey State Development and Redevelopment Plan
DRAFT FINAL PLAN
23
The State Plan Strategy
Statewide Policies
ment strategy that can take advantage of New Jersey’s strengths, respond to the current economic
downturn, overcome the difficulties posed by multiple government jurisdictions, and is consistent with
the vision and goals of the State Plan and the social equity considerations of the concept of Sustainability.
6. Housing – Preserve and expand the supply of safe, decent and reasonably priced housing while
meeting the constitutional mandate with respect to affordable housing through improved
planning, regulatory reform, supportive infrastructure investments, housing subsidies, tax and
discounted fee incentives and municipal property tax relief in ways that are consistent with the
vision and goals of the State Plan.
The Challenge: To match changing housing demand with adequate housing supply in a way that
meets the New Jersey Constitutional obligation and is also consistent with the vision and goals of the
State Plan.
7. Urban Revitalization – Revitalize urban centers and
first suburbs by devising a regional metropolitan
area strategy that concentrates public resources to
attract public and private investment to enhance
economic development, employment opportunities, housing redevelopment and transportation
options to produce neighborhoods of choice and
middle class growth in those communities while
slowing development on the metropolitan periphery, in ways that are consistent with the vision and
goals of the State Plan.
The Challenge: To revitalize urban centers and first suburbs by devising a coherent state and regional strategy
that will concentrate reinvestment in those municipalities while managing growth on the metropolitan
periphery.
8. Transportation – Improve transportation planning and management by enhancing interdepartment coordination on multiple government levels, and stabilizing transportation
funding to maintain and repair existing transportation infrastructure to ensure public safety
and regional mobility rather than engage in systems expansion. Integrate transportation and
land-use decision-making, encouraging multi-modal transportation alternatives to automobiles
and trucks, to reduce VMT and greenhouse gas emissions as well as any negative impacts on
environmental, historic and cultural and equity concerns that affect New Jersey’s quality of life
in ways that are consistent with the vision and goals of the State Plan.
The Challenge: To fund the maintenance and operations of the existing transportation system in ways
that ensure public safety and regional mobility, to transform that system to be less dependent on
automobiles and trucks to reduce VMTs, energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
9. Historic, Cultural & Scenic Resources – Protect, enhance, and where appropriate rehabilitate
historic, cultural and scenic resources by identifying, evaluating and registering significant
historic, cultural and scenic landscapes, districts, structures, buildings, objects and sites, while
ensuring that new growth and development is compatible with historic, cultural and scenic
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New Jersey State Development and Redevelopment Plan
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The State Plan Strategy
Statewide Policies
values in ways that are consistent with the vision
and goals of the State Plan.
The Challenge: To protect, enhance and where appropriate, rehabilitate historic, cultural and scenic resources through appropriate means that will enhance not
only the historic, cultural heritage and scenic resources,
but also make significant contributions to the State’s
economy.
10. Air Resources – Protect and enhance air quality by
improving inter-governmental coordination and
integration to achieve National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS); enhance coordination
and integration between the State Plan and the NJDEP State Implementation Plan (SIP), relevant transportation plans and regulations along with the plans prepared by New Jersey’s three
MPOs and by NJDOT; reduce imported fossil fuel dependence while promoting the use of clean
and renewable fuels; and encourage the multiple levels of government to plan and implement
policies, programs and regulations that will result in land-use patterns that reduce VMT and
encourage the use of multi-modal transportation alternatives to the automobile, in ways that
are consistent with the vision and goals of the State Plan.
The Challenge: To improve the coordination and integration of plans, policies and programs across
State departments and agencies and on multiple government levels to encourage land use patterns
that will result in less VMT and encourage multi-modal transportation alternatives to the automobile
to improve air quality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
11. Water Resources – Acknowledge water as a public resource, while protecting and enhancing
that resource through improved coordination and integration of watershed-based planning
and management aimed at protecting water supplies; reduce point source and non-point
source pollution, promoting water conservation and encouraging locations, types and designs
of development to reduce adverse impacts on water resources and flood hazards; protect the
natural functions of streams and wetland systems, maintaining and enhancing ground water
and ensuring that principles of sustainability guide planning, management and use of water
resources in ways that are consistent with the vision and goals of the State Plan.
The Challenge: To manage water resources and land-uses that affect them comprehensively by
employing a watershed-based planning and management approach as a framework to make better
informed and more sustainable water resource related decisions.
12. Open Lands, Natural Systems & Recreation – Plan for the acquisition, management and
protection of open spaces, natural systems and
recreational areas for the purposes of preserving
biological diversity, protecting water resources,
wetlands, forested lands, critical slopes and scenic
vistas. Reduce the amount of greenhouse gases by
supplementing and improving existing land acquisition, regulatory and management techniques in
ways that are consistent with the vision and goals of
New Jersey State Development and Redevelopment Plan
DRAFT FINAL PLAN
25
The State Plan Strategy
Statewide Policies
the State Plan.
The Challenge: To improve the protection of New Jersey’s valuable
and diverse open lands, natural systems and recreational open
spaces in the face of increased population pressures, competing
demands for alternative land uses and a highly fragmented institutional framework.
13. Energy Resources – Ensure an adequate energy supply
through facility modernization, and technological improvements, while shifting away from fossil fuel consumption and
in favor of alternative renewable energy sources, cogeneration and conservation in ways that will promote beneficial
economic growth while significantly reducing dependence on
foreign energy sources and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in ways that are consistent with
the vision and goals of the State Plan
The Challenge: To secure a long-term energy supply, become more energy efficient and independent
of foreign energy sources while conserving energy and reducing energy-related pollution including
greenhouse gas emissions.
14. Waste Management, Recycling & Brownfields – Promote recycling and source reduction
through product design and materials management and by coordinating and supporting
legislative, planning and facility development efforts regarding solid and hazardous waste
treatment, storage and disposal. Capitalize on opportunities provided by Brownfield sites
through coordinated planning, strategic marketing and priority redevelopment of these sites in
ways that are consistent with the vision and goals of the State Plan.
The Challenge: To reduce the amount of waste that has to be land-filled through source reduction,
materials substitution, product design and recycling; and with respect to brownfields, to compile and
disseminate an accurate and up-to-date statewide brownfields inventory that will become the basis
for the development and implementation of a strategic brownfields site remediation and redevelopment approach that results in more efficient and effective clean-up and redevelopment.
15. Agriculture – Promote agriculture as an industry and preserve the agricultural land base by
coordinating planning and innovative land preservation techniques to support agricultural
sustainability in recognition of agriculture’s valuable contributions to conserving the State’s
natural resources and its quality of life, while accommodating growth in rural areas in ways that
are consistent with the State Plan’s vision and goals.
The Challenge: To promote agriculture as an economically viable industry in this highly urbanized
state by defining and supporting appropriate agricultural
niches, while also continuing to preserve the farmland base
when agricultural land values often adversely compete with
land values for residential and commercial development.
16. Coastal Resources – Protect and conserve New Jersey’s
coastal resources, by striking an appropriate balance
between the important contribution that the Jersey
Shore makes to New Jersey’s economy and its fragile
environmental resources upon which so much of that
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New Jersey State Development and Redevelopment Plan
DRAFT FINAL PLAN
The State Plan Strategy
Statewide Policies
economic contribution relies. Account for the dramatic change likely to occur as a consequence
of natural geologic forces, sea-level rise and increasing coastal hazards due to the effects of
global warming.
The Challenge: To carefully balance human economic activities and the protection and conservation
of natural resources upon which much of the economic activity at the shore is dependent. Simultaneously, pay careful attention to and take appropriate actions in response to sea-level rising and the increasing probability of extreme storm events that may result from climate change including, but not
limited to mitigating coastal hazards and addressing the needs of emergency response and coastal
evacuations.
SUSSEX
H
A
WARREN
Meadowlands BERGEN
L
IG
H MORRIS
ESSEX
UNION
HUDSON
SOMERSET
HUNTERDON
MIDDLESEX
Highlands Region
MERCER
Pinelands Management Area
CAFRA- Coastal Area Facilitites Review Act
NJ Meadowlands
DS
BURLINGTON
CAMDEN
MONMOUTH
OCEAN
E
L
A
N
GLOUCESTER
SALEM
CUMBERLAND
18. Special Resource Areas – Recognize areas or regions with
unique characteristics or resources of statewide importance to advance regional planning efforts in ways that
are consistent with the State Plan vision and goals.
N
D
S
PASSAIC
IN
The Challenge: To effectively coordinate and integrate the
policies of these legislatively-established regional agencies
in ways that are consistent with the State Plan’s vision and
goals.
PLANNING REGIONS
ESTABLISHED by
STATUTE
P
17. Planning Regions Established by Statute – Acknowledge
the special statutory treatment accorded to the New
Jersey Pinelands Commission, the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission and the New Jersey Highlands
Council; and rely on the adopted plans and regulations
of these legislatively-established agencies in developing
the State Plan. The State Plan’s policies with respect to
those regional agencies are intended to coordinate and
integrate the State Plan’s efforts with the adopted plans,
policies, procedures and regulations of those agencies in
ways that are consistent with the State Plan’s vision and
goals.
ATLANTIC
C A F R A
C A F R A
CAPE
MAY
The Challenge: To develop and adopt planning and implementation strategies to advance the State
Plan’s vision and goals relevant to Special Resource Area’s unique resources, while clarifying the purpose of Special Resource Areas within the State Plan framework and overcoming any local fears and
resistance that may exist regarding regional planning approaches.
19. Designing More Sustainable Built Environments – Tailor community design, intensity and
form to fit with local needs that may vary from urban centers to first suburbs in need of redevelopment to retrofitting newer suburban communities to center-based development for rural
and environmentally sensitive areas to create spatially defined, visually appealing and functionally efficient places with respect to each of those different contexts in ways that help to create a
distinctive identity, build to human scale and establish a sense of place that enhances economic
viability and includes circulation patterns that facilitate multi-modal transportation alternatives
to the automobile in ways that are consistent with the vision and goals of the State Plan.
The Challenge: To devise attractive community designs for a range of different community types from
the redevelopment essential to revitalizing urban centers and first suburbs, to retrofitting newer subNew Jersey State Development and Redevelopment Plan
DRAFT FINAL PLAN
27
The State Plan Policy Map (SPPM)
Statewide Policies
urbs to designing, attractive, center-based developments in the rural and environmentally sensitive
locations in the state.
20. Climate Change – Encourage land-use changes in the State’s predominant settlement pattern
and the transformation of the State’s transportation system to lessen VMT and thereby reduce
greenhouse gas emissions in ways that are consistent with the vision and goals of the State
Plan.
The Challenge: To employ the State Plan’s vision and goals more effectively to coordinate and integrate public and private sector activities to implement the State Plan’s long-standing policy recommendations to reduce New Jersey’s contributions to greenhouse gas emissions by achieving the limits
established by Executive Order No. 54, the Global Warming Response Act, the New Jersey Energy
Master Plan and the Global Warming Response Act Recommendations.
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New Jersey State Development and Redevelopment Plan
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The State Plan Policy Map (SPPM)
Policy Map
NY
of the New Jersey State
Development and
Redevelopment Plan
!
(
!
_
!
(
DESIGNATED CENTERS
_
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Urban Centers
Regional Centers
Paterson
Towns
Villages
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C
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Morristown
Hamlets
_
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^
^
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Newark
PLANNING AREAS
Phillipsburg
PA1
Metropolitan Planning Area
PA2
Suburban Planning Area
PA3
Fringe Planning Area
PA4
Rural Planning Area
PA4B
Rural/Env. Sensitive Planning Area
PA5
Environmentally Sensitive Planning Area
PA5B
Env. Sensitive/Barrier Islands Planning Area
(
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New
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Parks & Natural Areas
_
HIGHLANDS PRESERVATION AREA OVERLAY ZONES
Existing Community
_
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Trenton
PA
Existing Community - Environmentally Constrained
Conservation - Environmentally Constrained
Wildlife Management
Planning Area Boundary
!
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PINELANDS MANAGEMENT AREAS
_
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Branch
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Protection
Conservation
!
!
!
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Military Installations
Village
Rural Development Area
!
(
_
Agricultural Production Area
Special Agricultural Area
Forest & Preservation
Area
HMDC: Meadowlands
_
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Military & Federal
!
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_
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DE
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UNION
HUNTERDON
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City
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PASSAIC
WARREN
MORRIS ESSEX
HUDSON
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SUSSEX
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(!
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(!
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Vineland
MIDDLESEX
MERCER MONMOUTH
OCEAN
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(
BURLINGTON
CAMDEN
NEW JERSEY STATE PLANNING COMMISSION
Date , 2009
GLOUCESTER
Source: NJ DCA, Office of Smart Growth- 2009.
SALEM
!
(
The State Plan is not itself a regulation but a statement of
state policy that has been adopted by the State Planning
Commission pursuant to statute to guide state, regional and
local agencies in the exercise of their statutory authority.
_
!
(
Cape May
0
ATLANTIC
CUMBERLAND
N
!
(
5
10
15
20
CAPE
MAY
Miles
New Jersey State Development and Redevelopment Plan
DRAFT FINAL PLAN
29
The State Plan Policy Map (SPPM)
Resource Planning & Management Structure
The State Plan Policy Map (SPPM)
The State Plan Policy Map (SPPM) recognizes that New Jersey requires different approaches
in its Metropolitan, Suburban, Rural and Environmentally Sensitive Planning Areas. The SPPM has
two major components: Planning Areas, which identify the unique natural and built infrastructure
in specific areas across New Jersey; and Centers & their respective Environs, which identify the scale,
location and design of livable communities and natural landscapes. The SPPM also has other identified
features including Critical Environmental Sites (CES) and Cultural/Historical Sites (CHS). The SPPM also
identifies “Nodes,”” Cores” and selected “Neighborhoods.”
Resource Planning & Management Structure
Some may consider the Resource Planning and Management Structure as the “heart” of the
State Plan. They certainly provide the State Plan with a geographic focus. However, the Statewide
Policies, the SPPM along with the Cross-acceptance Process and Monitoring and Evaluation are also
essential parts of the State Plan’s Structure and ultimately its strategy. The State Plan’s Resource Planning and Management Structure is comprised of a number of fundamental parts including Planning
Areas, Centers and their Environs.
Planning Areas
Planning Areas are large masses of land that share a common set of conditions, such as population density, infrastructure systems, relative degrees of development and natural systems. The Planning Areas serve an important classification function related to the State Plan Intent and fundamental
policy objectives to accomplish that intent. The Planning Areas are carefully delineated geographically
on the SPPM. Because each Planning Area is unique and is the object of a different State Plan Intent,
it contains different Statewide Policy Objectives. These Statewide Policy Objectives, as applied to the
Acres in Planning Areas
Metropolitan (PA1)
Suburban (PA2)
Fringe (PA3)
Rural (PA4)
Rural/Env. Sensitive (PA4B)
Env. Sensitive (PA5)
Env. Sensitive/Barrier Islands (PA5B)
Parks
Special Resource Areas
(Highlands, Meadowlands, Pinelands)
Developed
30
0
300,000
Agricultural
New Jersey State Development and Redevelopment Plan
DRAFT FINAL PLAN
600,000
900,000
Forested
1,200,000
1,500,000 Acres
Undevelopable
The State Plan Policy Map (SPPM)
Planning Areas
different Planning Areas, ensure an appropriate balance between development and conservation of
natural resources as directed by the State Planning Act and as guided by the State Plan’s vision and
goals. If adhered to, the differing Statewide Policy Objectives will also ensure that the appropriate
development will occur within Planning Areas’ centers and environs. Infrastructure capacities and
natural systems are important criteria in identifying and delineating the Planning Areas, Centers and
Environs classifications.
The State Plan’s vision and goals consider five Planning Areas and two sub-Planning Areas. The
Five Planning Areas are the following:
1. The Metropolitan Planning Area – This Planning Area includes a variety of municipalities
that range from large Urban Centers to
19th century towns shaped by commuter
Metropolitan Planning Area (PA1)
800,292 Acres (16% of New Jersey)
rail and post-war suburbs. The Communi65,891 Acres
ties in this Planning Area have strong ties
(8%)
9,883 Acres
to major metropolitan centers – New York/
(1%)
Newark/Jersey City metropolitan region;
79,567 Acres
(10%)
the Philadelphia/Camden/Trenton MetroUrban
politan Region; and on a smaller scale the
Forest
Easton/Phillipsburg Metropolitan Region.
644,951 Acres
(81%)
Agriculture
These municipalities have many things in
common: mature settlement patterns; inConstrained
frastructure systems that are approaching
their reasonable life expectancy; an aging
housing stock in need of rehabilitation;
recognition that redevelopment will be the predominant form of growth; and a growing
realization of the need to regionalize services and systems. In addition, the wide and often
affordable choice of housing in proximity to New York and Philadelphia has attracted
significant immigration, resulting in noticeable changes in demographic characteristics over
time.
In the Metropolitan Planning Area, the State Plan’s intent is to do the following:
•• Provide for much of the State’s future development and redevelopment
•• Revitalize Cities and Towns
•• Take advantage of increased densities and compact building design
•• Encourage distinctive, attractive neighborhoods with a strong sense of place
•• Provide for mixed-use concentrations of residential and commercial activity
•• Create a wide range of residential housing opportunities and choices with income mix
•• Provide for a variety of multi-modal transportation alternatives
•• Prioritize clean-up and redevelopment of brownfields and greyfields sites
•• Create cultural centers of state-wide significance
•• Re-design any existing areas of low-density sprawl
2. The Suburban Planning Area – The Suburban Planning Area is located adjacent to the
Metropolitan Planning Area, but can be distinguished by a lack of high intensity Centers,
by the availability of developable land, and by a more dispersed and fragmented pattern of
predominantly low-density development. Suburban Planning Areas are served by regional
infrastructure. These areas have typically been designated for growth in municipal master
plans.
New Jersey State Development and Redevelopment Plan
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31
The State Plan Policy Map (SPPM)
Planning Areas
Suburban Highway and Rail Corridor
Existing Conditions: An historic town center, containing
a mix of office, retail, institutional and residential uses,
is still surrounded by large areas of rural countryside.
The regional commuter rail is experiencing dramatic
increases in ridership at the small congested stations.
Office parks and commercial development are beginning
to appear along a state highway. Residential subdivisions
are replacing farms and forests. Formerly rural roads are
increasingly congested with traffic from strip commercial
development. Some of the region’s best agricultural soils
are under imminent threat of development.
Trend Development: The historic town center loses its role
as the commercial and social hub for the surrounding
area. The state highway is widened, but becomes even
more congested. Increased non-point source pollution
leads to a decline in the quality of the river’s water. Prime
agricultural soils are paved over. Development and
housing fragment green corridors while trails and aquifer
recharge areas are lost. The open countryside defining
the historic town center is overwhelmed by development.
Air quality declines. Residential subdivisions consume the
remainder of the region’s rural forests and farmlands.
Plan Development: Balanced in-fill growth in the
town center reinforces the traditional mix of uses,
drawing from and enhancing the historic context. The
historic center is still surrounded by rural countryside.
The river is protected by open space buffers and
preservation of water recharge areas. Service on the
commuter rail line is expanded. Improved station area
facilities include a shared parking deck, and become
the focus for new transit-oriented town centers.
Access to the state highway is limited and road
expansions are unnecessary. Air quality is protected.
Residential growth is redirected to existing centers and
to new, walkable centers served by transit.
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New Jersey State Development and Redevelopment Plan
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The State Plan Policy Map (SPPM)
Planning Areas
Suburban Commercial Strip
Existing Conditions: A generic suburban commercial
strip, where roads and surface parking lots dominate the
landscape. Single use, low-density zoning has led to dependence on the automobile, which in turn has resulted
in severe peak-hour congestion. While the strip is mostly
prosperous, some older shopping centers have closed,
unable to compete with big box retail. Stormwater runoff
from parking and roads is degrading the water quality of
a nearby stream. Undeveloped areas along the highway
are zoned for additional strip commercial development.
While some open space, woodlands, and farmland still
remain, wildlife habitat is fragmented.
Trend Development: Strip development along the highway has continued, resulting in many miles of highwayoriented uses and a cluttered, unappealing environment.
A parallel road network has not been created, requiring
every trip—even short local trips—to enter the highway.
As a result, extreme traffic congestion, safety concerns
and conflicts between regional mobility and local access
have led to several highway widenings. Older shopping
centers have continued to decline due to competition
from big box retail. Air quality has declined, and stormwater runoff has seriously degraded the water quality of
a nearby stream. Most open space has been consumed,
with a concomitant loss of wildlife habitat.
Plan Development: A smart growth approach to
the corridor focuses growth in a series of compact
centers along the highway, connected by express bus.
Infrastructure improvements and other incentives
encourage redevelopment of the failed shopping
centers with attractive, higher density, mixed-use
structures convenient to adjacent structured parking.
Well-designed offices and higher density housing are
added to the retail and service uses. As part of the
redevelopment, a new internal street network creates
real places and helps disperse traffic. Congestion has
decreased due to reduced automobile use and availability of alternate routes. Another mixed-use area
straddling the highway is developed further down,
separated from the existing area by preserved open
space. Air quality has improved. The surrounding
dispersed residential areas, along with the woodlands
and farmland, are preserved.
New Jersey State Development and Redevelopment Plan
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33
The State Plan Policy Map (SPPM)
Planning Areas
Current development patterns outside of Centers are almost entirely dependent on the
automobile for transportation. Scattered
subdivisions and employment centers offer
Suburban Planning Area (PA2)
few if any focal points for community
464,566 Acres (9% of New Jersey)
interaction that may have been provided
in older urban or suburban communities
by traditional main streets or a town
67,600 Acres
(15%)
43,997 Acres
common. The effect of local planning
(9%)
Urban
efforts has been to isolate land uses from
258,643 Acres
each other, using zoning requirements
Forest
94,326 Acres
(56%)
(20%)
such as large setbacks or extensive buffers,
Agriculture
the location of stormwater detention
Constrained
facilities and unnecessarily wide roads to
create physical barriers between land uses
and different activities. Current trends
continue to extend sprawl throughout this Planning Area, focusing primarily on the same
single-use or limited use development in response to developer and market demand that
generally conform to local government zoning requirements.
In the Suburban Planning Area, the State Plan’s intention is to do the following:
•• Provide for much of the State’s future development
•• Promote growth in center-based developments by increasing densities and employing
attractive community design to encourage more compact forms of development
•• Protect the character of existing stable communities
•• Revitalize existing cities and towns
•• Promote increased coordination and integration of transportation planning and land-use
decision-making
•• Encourage multi-modal transportation alternatives to the automobile
•• Protect natural resources
•• Re-design and retrofit existing areas of sprawl
•• Reverse the current trend toward additional sprawl
3. The Fringe Planning Area – The Fringe Planning Area is predominantly still a rural landscape that is not prime agricultural or
environmentally sensitive land, with
Fringe Planning Area (PA3)
79,453 Acres (2% of New Jersey)
scattered small communities and freestanding residential, commercial and
industrial development. Throughout the
Fringe Planning Area are older communi9,279Acres
(12%)
ties, some of which serve as county gov14,291 Acres
Urban
ernment seats or have become magnets
38,064 Acres
(18%)
for specialty retail.
(48%)
Forest
In the Fringe Planning Area, large investments in water and sewer and local road
networks have not yet occurred. Circulation is primarily provided by a state and
county system of highways supplemented
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New Jersey State Development and Redevelopment Plan
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Agriculture
Unsuitable
17,819 Acres
(22%)
The State Plan Policy Map (SPPM)
Planning Areas
by locally maintained roads. Investments in water and sewer are mainly in existing Centers.
In the Fringe Planning Area, the State Plan’s intent is to employ this Planning Area as a
“buffer” or “transition area” in the following important ways:
•• Direct growth into and revitalize cities and towns
•• Accommodate additional future growth through more compact, center-based
developments
•• Confine future sewer and public water service areas to center-based developments
•• Enhance the character of existing stable communities
•• Protect the existing environs primarily as open space and farmlands
•• Protect natural resources
•• Provide a less developed buffer between more developed Metropolitan and Suburban
Planning Areas and less developed Rural and Environmentally Sensitive Planning Areas
•• Devise and implement long-term planning strategies to stabilize the existing character of
these Fringe Planning Areas.
4. The Rural Planning Area – The Rural Planning Area (PA4) – including the Rural/Environmentally Sensitive Planning Area (PA4B)– comprises much of New Jersey’s countryside,
where large masses of cultivated or open land surround rural Regional Centers, Towns,
Villages and Hamlets. Relatively isolated residential, commercial and industrial sites are
clearly distinguishable from typical suburban development in this Planning Area. The open
lands of this Rural Planning Area include most of New Jersey’s prime farmland, which has
the greatest potential for sustaining continued agricultural production in the future along
with forested and woodland tracts. These areas along with the Environmentally Sensitive
Planning Area – Planning Area 5, serve as the “greensward” for the larger region and are not
currently nor are they expected to be urban or suburban in nature in the future.
This classification also includes a sub-Planning Area the Environmentally Sensitive/Rural
Planning Area. The State Plan Intent for this sub-Planning Area is to support continued
agricultural development on lands with environmentally sensitive features.
In the Rural Planning Area, the State Plan’s intention is to do the following:
•• Maintain the environs as large contiguous tracts of farmland and open space
•• Promote a viable agricultural industry and compatible off-the-farm economic opportunities for farmers
•• Revitalize existing rural centers
Rural Planning Area (PA4)
561,365 Acres (12% of New Jersey)
Rural Environmentaly Sensitive Planning Area (PA4B)
385,076 Acres (8% of New Jersey)
72,726 Acres 71,795 Acres
(19%)
(19%)
92,616 Acres 106’535 Acres
(16%)
(19%)
Urban
Urban
Forest
Agriculture
Constrained
140,557 Acres
(25%)
221,656 Acres
(39%)
Forest
Agriculture
96,707 Acres
(25%)
143,847 Acres
(37%)
Constrained
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The State Plan Policy Map (SPPM)
Planning Areas
•• Accommodate future growth and
development in existing centers and
center-based new development
•• Protect the character of existing, stable
communities
•• Confine programmed sewers and public
water services to centers
•• Impose impervious cover restrictions
and require restoration, maintenance
and enhancement of the working
landscape.
5. The Environmentally Sensitive Planning
Area – The Environmentally Sensitive
Planning Area contains large contiguous land areas with valuable eco-systems, geological
features and wildlife habitats particularly in the Delaware Bay and other estuary areas, the
Highlands Region and the Coastal Area. New Jersey’s future environmental integrity and a
substantial portion of its economy depends on the protection of these irreplaceable resources. Environmentally Sensitive Planning Areas are characterized by watersheds of
pristine waters, trout streams and drinking water supply reservoirs; aquifer recharge areas
for potable water supplies; habitats for endangered and threatened plant and animal
species, coastal and freshwater wetlands; prime forested areas; scenic vistas and other
significant topographical, geological or ecological features, particularly coastal barrier spits
and islands. These resources are critically important not only for the local residents of these
areas, but for all New Jersey residents and tourists who may travel great distances to visit
these sites.
Existing Centers within the Environmentally Sensitive Planning Area have been,
and often remain, the focus of residential
and commercial growth and public facilities and services for their region, as well as
supporting the travel, tourism and recreational industries. These Centers generally
are linked to each other by rural roads and
separated from other developments by
open spaces or linked to the mainland by
state highways crossing coastal wetlands
and waterways.
In the Environmentally Sensitive Planning
Area, The State Plan’s intention is to do the
following:
Environmentaly Sensitive Area (PA5)
593,209 Acres (12% of New Jersey)
Urban
Forest
112,256 Acres
(19%)
248,237 Acres
(42%)
189,070 Acres
(32%)
Agriculture
Constrained
43,645 Acres
(7%)
•• Protect environmental resources through the protection of large contiguous tracts of
open space
•• Accommodate growth in existing cities and towns and new Center-based developments
•• Revitalize existing cities and towns
•• Protect the character of existing stable communities
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The State Plan Policy Map (SPPM)
Planning Areas
Rapidly Developing Suburban Fringe
Existing Conditions: The Garden State of New Jersey has
some of the nation’s best farmland, yet much of this
irreplaceable resource is currently zoned for low-density
development. The farmland and open space forms a
continuous, productive landscape. Woodlands and
hedgerows provide important wildlife habitat. Buildings are clustered in farmsteads and hamlets. The local
roads are designed for low levels of rural, farm traffic. The
beauty of the rural landscape is an important asset for
New Jersey.
Trend Development: Suburban development overwhelms
the farmland, open lands and natural landscape. Rigid
zoning codes create homogenous tracts of single-family
homes, shopping centers and office parks. Individual septic systems increase chances to pollute the groundwater
and conflict with wells. Local roads become congested
and require widening, destroying the rural character.
Conventional development creates visual monotony and
clutter that replaces the once-scenic landscape.
Plan Development: New development occurs, but
inspired by garden city ideals. Higher-density uses
occur in a new village center, with larger lots on the
outskirts. Compact growth preserves working farms,
which are separated from the new community by
green buffers that reduce conflicts. Natural systems
handle wastewater and stormwater. Traffic congestion is limited, due to reduced automobile use.
Sensitive design creates attractive new buildings and
public spaces.
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The State Plan Policy Map (SPPM)
Critical Environmental Sites & Historic/Cultural Sites
•• Confine water supply and sewer systems to existing cities and towns and new Centerbased developments
•• Impose impervious cover restrictions and require restoration, maintenance and enhancement of the natural landscape.
This Planning Area also includes a sub-Planning Area, the Environmentally Sensitive/Barrier
Islands Planning Area. The intent of this sub-Planning Area is to protect and enhance the
existing character of the Barrier Island communities, minimize the risks of natural hazards,
provide public access to coastal resources and maintain and improve coastal resources. The
question of climate change and sea-level rising are obviously of deep concern with respect
to the barrier islands.
In the Environmentally Sensitive subPlanning Area or Planning Area 5B, the
State Plan’s intention is to account for and/
or to do the following:
Environmentaly Sensitive Barrier Island
Planning Area (PA5B)
20,930Acres (.5% of New Jersey)
•• Seasonal population fluctuations
•• Disaster and coastal hazard preparedness including those that may emanate
Urban
acutely from sea-level rising and the
Forest
increased frequency of extreme weather
Agriculture*
events
•• Long-term coastal changes including
Constrained
those that may emanate more gradually
from sea-level rising and beach erosion
•• Extended tourist seasons and yearround residential development
•• Protection of sensitive areas exposed to high public use
•• Expansion of public access along beaches and bay fronts
5,691 Acres
(27%)
15,079 Acres
(72%)
160 Acres
(1%)
*Agriculture 0 Acres
Critical Environmental Sites & Historic/Cultural Sites
The State Plan relies upon Critical Environmental Sites (CES) as a primary means of identifying,
protecting and managing areas of valuable natural resources that may be found throughout the State
in locations other than the Environmentally Sensitive Planning Area or Rural Environmentally Sensitive
Planning Area. For these identified and designated areas, the State Plan applies the intent and relevant
provisions of the environmental Statewide Policies of the Environmentally Sensitive Planning Areas.
Centers & Environs
Centers are compact forms of development that when compared to sprawl development, consume less land, deplete fewer natural resources, are usually less expensive in terms of infrastructure
investment and are more efficient with respect to the delivery of public services. The Centers concept
is the State Plan’s key organizing principle for development and redevelopment in the state. The State
Plan’s strategy is to promote and accommodate growth in Centers, rather than continue to sprawl
across the State’s dwindling farmlands, woodlands and remaining open spaces.
Centers are complex, richly textured living communities, where a physical framework of
buildings, infrastructure and open spaces actively support the economy and fabric of civil society.
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Centers Components
Traditional compact communities have continuously evolved over long periods of time, demonstrating a frequently overlooked capacity for adapting to changing, and sometimes adverse circumstances.
A community’s ability to respond positively to changing conditions is in part attributable to the basic
soundness of its physical framework. Unlike the uni-dimensional, single purpose developments typical
of suburban sprawl, a Center is designed to support a wide diversity of uses and activities for diverse
users.
As Centers are planned to be the location of much of the future growth and development in
New Jersey, it is critical that they be located and designed with the capacity to accommodate future
desired growth. Promoting redevelopment in particular, is the key strategy for promoting and accommodating growth in New Jersey.
Centers Components
Centers have three fundamental components: Center Boundaries or “edges;” Cores and
Neighborhoods.
Centers Boundaries
Centers in the Fringe, Rural and Environmentally Sensitive Planning Areas have Center Boundaries or distinctive “edges.” The boundaries delineate the geographic focus of development and
redevelopment activities, infrastructure and other investments. The delineation of the Center
Boundary is less a concern for Centers in Metropolitan and Suburban Planning Areas where the
boundary or “edge” between development and undeveloped land is not clear.
Center Boundaries are delineated to reflect, where possible, physical features such as streets,
streams or steep slopes, or changes in the character of development. Center Boundaries can be
distinguished by greenbelts – large tracts of undeveloped or developed open space, including
areas under cultivation, areas maintained in a natural state, parks or school playgrounds and
areas with low intensity, land intensive uses such as golf courses or cemeteries. Center Boundaries may also be marked by “bluebelts” such as rivers, lakes or the ocean.
Cores
The Core is the commercial, cultural and civic heart of the
Center or urban area. It is a bustling place which provides
a dynamic setting for human interaction. Activities that
generate the most pedestrian traffic, such as restaurants,
retail services, should be focused in the Core. Cores can
take a variety of physical forms including Main Streets,
organized along one or both sides of a commercial street,
and concentrated cores comprising one or more square
blocks.
Neighborhoods
Distinct Neighborhoods are the fundamental building
blocks of Centers. Neighborhoods are defined by walking distances. They contain balanced mix of uses and
activities or contribute towards such a balance within
the overall Center. Neighborhoods exhibit a distinguishNew Jersey State Development and Redevelopment Plan
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The State Plan Policy Map (SPPM)
Types of Centers
able identity. They are known. The neighborhood may be characterized by its physical design
features, by capitalizing on the presence of dramatic natural features, by some local institution,
or by its ethnic, racial or religious character.
Types of Centers
Centers are recognized in a range of scales, from small hamlets to the State’s major urban
centers. The SPPM applies different criteria and policies to the different types of Centers.
Urban Centers
Urban Centers are the largest of the State
Plan’s five types of Centers. These Urban
Centers offer the most diverse mix of industry,
commerce, residences and cultural facilities
of any central place in the state. While New
Jersey’s Urban Centers have suffered from
significant decline during the Post World War II
period, they still contain many jobs and household residences. They are the repositories of
large infrastructure systems – water, sewer,
transportation – and a considerable number of
manufacturing jobs, corporate headquarters,
hospitals and medical centers, universities and
research centers, government offices and cultural centers including performing arts centers,
museums and sports arenas.
Regional Centers
In Metropolitan Planning Areas, Regional Centers may include some smaller cities not designated as Urban Centers. In the Suburban Planning Areas, Regional Centers often serve as major
employment centers and often regional services such as higher education, health and arts/
entertainment facilities. In the Fringe and Rural Planning Areas, Regional Centers are often
population centers or county seats with small business districts serving local and neighboring
municipality residents.
New Regional Centers should be located along the State’s major transportation corridors and
designed to organize growth that otherwise
would sprawl throughout the corridor, creating
difficult to service demands. They should be
relatively compact and contain a mix of residential, commercial and office uses at an
intensity that will make a variety of public
transportation options feasible as the Centers
build out. New Regional Centers should have a
core of commercial activity. The Center boundaries should be relatively well-defined by open
space or significant natural or human-made
features.
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Types of Centers
Towns
Towns are the traditional centers of commerce or government throughout the state. They
are relatively freestanding in terms of their economic, social and cultural functions. They may
contain several neighborhoods that together provide a diverse housing stock in terms of types
and price levels. Towns are relatively compact, usually with a defined central core containing
shopping services, offices and community and government facilities.
New Towns should seek to emulate to the extent feasible the most cherished features of these
traditional New Jersey towns which may have organically grown over centuries. They offer an
attractive setting, built to human scale with blocks, streets and open spaces. They are walkable,
providing easy access to civic and community activities. Larger towns provide a collection of
neighborhoods offering diversity in terms of culture and style as well as housing price range
and tenure choice.
Villages
Villages are compact, primarily residential communities that
offer basic consumer services for their residents and nearby
residents. They may also offer more specialized services to a
wider area. Villages are not meant to provide major regional
shopping or employment for their regions.
New Villages will comprise a small core and collection of
neighborhoods. In the Suburban Planning Area, new Villages
are likely to be distinguished from surrounding development
only by a more cohesive and structure development form; and
by greater proximity between residential and non-residential
uses. The Village Center may consist of limited retail and/or
public buildings, e.g., the municipal building or post office. In
the Fringe, Rural and Environmentally Sensitive Planning Areas,
new Villages should be surrounded by natural areas, farmland or greenbelts of open space.
Commercial activities may fill the center or core. Those activities should be capable of offering
neighborhood-scale goods and services.
Hamlets
Hamlets are the State Plan’s smallest types of Centers.
Existing Hamlets are found primarily in rural areas, often at
crossroads. Hamlets are not synonymous with conventional
single-use residential subdivisions. Although Hamlets are
primarily residential in character, they may have a small,
compact core offering limited convenience goods and
community activities, such as a multi-purpose community
building; a school; a house of worship; a tavern or luncheonette; or a commons or similar land uses. The density of a
Hamlet should conform to the carrying capacities of the
natural and built systems.
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The State Plan Policy Map (SPPM)
State Plan Policies for Centers & Nodes
State Plan Policies for Centers
The Resource Planning and Management Structure includes policies that address the locations
and function of Centers. These policies include providing land for growth in Centers, balancing growth
between the Centers within a region to accommodate projected growth, utilizing capacity information to designate Centers and designing Centers to make them attractive and more livable.
State Plan Policies for Environs
Areas outside of Center Boundaries are the Environs. The Environs contain large contiguous
areas of farmland, open space and forests or woodlands. The strategies expected to be applied to
preserve the Environs include density transfers into Centers, purchasing or donating easements,
restricting the extension of capital facilities and adopting ordinances that limit development.
The Metropolitan Planning Area does not generally have Environs in the form of open land
separating communities and protecting natural and agricultural resources. In most instances, the large
tracts of contiguous farmland, forests and environmentally sensitive lands in Fringe, Rural and Environmentally Sensitive Planning Areas function at the Environs of the Metropolitan Planning Area. In
the Suburban Planning Area, the Environs should be established to separate Centers without compromising the area’s capacity to absorb projected growth. The State Plan Policy Objectives for the Fringe,
Rural and Environmentally Sensitive Planning Areas specifically call for protection of the Environs from
development.
Growth otherwise planned for the Environs should be focused in Centers. Development in the
Environs should maintain and enhance the farmland, natural resources and character of the area. It
should use creative land use and design techniques to ensure that it does not exceed the capacity
of the natural systems and existing infrastructure. The State Plan Policies for the Fringe, Rural and
Environmentally Sensitive Planning Areas should employ comprehensive planning and consistent
capital investment and regulatory strategies to continue to preserve large contiguous tracts surrounding Centers with greenbelts where practical, and ensuring that development in the Environs meets
the State Plan’s Policy Objectives of the relevant Planning Area while transferring density from the
Environs to Centers. Prior public investments in farmland and open space preservation should remain
protected.
Special Use Designations
Within an established planning area, there may be more localized special uses that, by their
nature and character require policies and regulations that are particular to that use. The use may be incompatible with uses recommended for the particular Planning Area, but may not be of sufficient size
or scale to qualify for its own planning area designation. Accordingly, the State Plan acknowledges the
identification of “Cores,” which are locations hosting more intense development than the surrounding
development; or “Nodes,” which are areas of a specialized, dedicated use. The establishment of these
concepts allows for local planning to support these uses to adequately accommodate them.
These areas should be identified through Plan Endorsement, employing that process to
evaluate the planning context in which these areas are being established and to assure that they are
appropriately designed and scaled for their location. Policies should be enacted that support properly
located and established “Cores” or “Nodes,” e.g., infrastructure investment decisions, impervious
coverage restrictions, and appropriate zoning designations.
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Cores
Cores
Cores are downtowns and major neighborhood commercial concentrations in urban areas,
suburbs and Centers. They are characterized by their greater intensity and mixed-uses. When located
within a Center, a Core identifies the commercial, cultural and civic heart of the Center. Cores denote
locations that provide a focus for human activity and interaction. Cores in villages tend to be considerably smaller than those found in cities and suburbs. They may be comprised of no more than a handful
of civic and commercial buildings around a public space, and supported by concentrated higher
density housing. A Core should be an area identified within a Designated Center. However, within
Planning Areas 1 and 2, a Core may be designated outside of a Center due to the overall existing
dense pattern of development in these areas of the State.
Nodes
ƒƒ Agricultural Nodes
New Jersey’s agricultural industry is largely located in the State’s predominantly rural areas,
delineated for the purposes of the State Plan in Planning Areas 4, 4B and 5. The State Plan’s
policies discourage unmanaged growth and development in these Planning Areas in an effort
to preserve and protect the working and natural landscapes associated with these Planning
Areas. However, to maintain and enhance the economic viability of agriculture as an industry,
supportive infrastructure and services must be located in close proximity to farming activity.
To minimize any adverse impacts of these uses on the landscape, it is useful to concentrate
these activities in appropriate locations with suitably planned and implemented measures to
protect the characteristics of surrounding areas. To acknowledge the importance of agriculturesupportive infrastructure and services, the State Plan includes an Agricultural Node designation.
The Agricultural Node will be established and mapped through the Plan Endorsement process.
They should be strategically located to utilize existing infrastructure where possible and provide appropriate support to the local agricultural community.
ƒƒ Industrial Nodes
Within any planning area, there may be an area where localized industrial development exists
or is anticipated. The future economic vitality of the State will depend upon the ability to adapt
to changing industrial needs, to anticipate new opportunities and to balance those opportunities with constraints that the State may face.
An area dedicated to commercial or industrial development may be designated and incorporated into a county or municipal master plan. Identification of appropriate locations for such
uses may result from a determination that it is desirable to segregate the use because of incompatibility with other uses such as residential development; or to derive the benefits that may
accrue by consolidating industrial or commercial uses in an suitable location.
Designation of “Heavy Industrial” or “Commercial or Light Industrial” Nodes is to occur through
the Plan Endorsement process. Local community effects, environmental and transportation
impacts ought to be weighed against potential economic benefits. Input from the relevant state
departments and agencies ought to be provided in making such a determination. A commitment from the host municipality to properly plan for these uses is essential. State government
support may be considered if the municipal costs outweigh local benefits, but the commercial
or light industrial activity is presumed to be beneficial to the State’s interest.
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43
Plan Adoption & Revision
The Plan Adoption & Revision Process
Plan Adoption & Revision
The Plan Adoption & Revision Process
The State Planning Act created a statewide planning process that it dubbed “Cross Acceptance.”
That process ensures that government at multiple levels as well as the public-at-large participate in
the preparation of the State Plan and its periodic revision. The State Planning Act describes the Cross
Acceptance Process in the following way:
“… a process of comparison of planning policies among governmental levels with the purpose
of attaining compatibility between local, county and State plans.” The process is designed to
result in a written statement specifying areas of agreement or disagreement and areas requiring modification by parties to the Cross Acceptance. (N.J.S.A. 18A-202b).
Cross Acceptance follows a set of prescribed steps that includes an initial comparison phase,
negotiation, public hearings and the commissioning of an independent assessment to examine
the economic, environmental, infrastructure, community life and intergovernmental coordination
aspects of the State Plan, followed by a final review phase with additional public hearings before the
State Plan is finally adopted by a vote of the State Planning Commission. This process is unique in the
country, but provides enormous opportunity for public participation and involvement.
Implementation
Implementation of the State Plan’s vision and goals through its Statewide Policies, State Plan
Policy Map, Resource Planning and Management Structure and the Cross-acceptance process is
neither simple nor straight-forward. The situation is complicated by the fact that the State Planning
Act is silent on the question of implementation. Even if the State
Legislature had been more explicit about implementation, State
Without State
Plan implementation would be difficult without guidance on
the way the broad sweep of the State Plan is to relate to prior
departments and
legislative enactments and those that would certainly come
agencies moving further
subsequent to the State Planning Act. This situation is especially
to incorporate the State
problematical with respect to NJDEP, which functions predomiPlan into their plans,
nantly as a regulatory agency and administers more than a
policies, investments and
dozen statutes and numerous regulatory programs that touch
on the substantive planning concerns affected by the State Plan.
regulatory decisions, a
major component of State
Without State departments and agencies moving further
to integrate and align their plans, policies and programs with
Plan implementation will
the State Plan, a major aspect of State Plan implementation
fall short.
will fall short. The effort on the part of State Departments and
Agencies is essential because it is through their collective aegis
that counties and municipalities will be provided with the incentives and disincentives that they will
require as motivation to change their planning and decision-making behaviors.
The Office of Smart Growth (OSG) administers a certification process called “Plan Endorsement.”
The Plan Endorsement process is a certification process by which primarily municipalities and to a
lesser extent counties have presented themselves for certification that they have complied with the
State Plan and accordingly seek confirmation from the State Planning Commission. That certification
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Plan Adoption & Revision
Monitoring and Evaluation
should serve as authorization to State departments and agencies throughout State government to
begin to prioritize their respective processes and resource allocations to the benefit of those who have
passed this test. Plan Endorsement only occurs if and when the State Planning Commission is satisfied
that a county’s or a municipality’s plan is consistent with the State Plan’s vision and goals.
Regional entities and counties are strongly encouraged to present regional and county plans to
the State Planning Commission for endorsement as well. These plans are expected to take a regional
perspective into account, including regional growth projections and capacity analyses.
Having a plan endorsed by the State Planning Commission provides the opportunity for a
municipality, a county or a regional agency to implement the plan with priority for state discretionary
funds as well as expedited permitting and enhanced planning assistance. Even more importantly,
however, may be the benefits gained by coordinating their plans and regulations with state departments and agencies, ensuring a statewide, coordinated and integrated vision for the future in addition
to the inherent benefits of undergoing a thorough and thoughtful multi-jurisdictional planning
process.
While the Plan Endorsement process provides a formal method of integrating and aligning
local and regional plans with the State Plan as well as access to a wide array of state agency programs,
departments and all municipalities may not wish to engage in this program. Nevertheless, the Plan
Endorsement process provides a valuable guide for comprehensive planning that can serve as a structure for any planning entity to follow. The concept of integrating all aspects of planning with state or
region wide goals as well as utilizing innovative and novel planning implementation mechanisms to
achieve local goals will have value, regardless of the context. The recognition of the way any of the
state’s 566 municipalities appropriately fits within the broader framework of the State Plan should
always be a basic element of local planning efforts.
Monitoring and Evaluation
The State Planning Act requires the State Planning Commission to include “the appropriate
monitoring variables and plan targets in the economic, environmental, infrastructure, community life
and intergovernmental coordination areas to be evaluated on an on-going basis….” In response, the
State Plan identifies critical indicators and targets that relate to these areas and additional indicators
that offer monitoring of important trends. In addition, the State Plan considers the results of an Infrastructure Needs Assessment (INA) and an Impact Assessment (IA) study, both of which are prescribed
by the State Planning Act.
Impact Assessment of the New Jersey State Plan
Prior to adoption of the State Plan, a detailed analysis of alternative growth patterns was tested.
This analysis, Sustainable and Economically Regenerative New Jersey: The Impact Assessment of the
New Jersey State Plan, was performed by the Center for Urban Policy Research at Rutgers University.
Two growth scenarios were compared: TREND, a continuation of current development traditions in
the absence of the State Plan, and PLAN, based on implementation of the State Plan’s strategies and
policies. In both situations, quality of life in the state will continue to increase. However, by following
the State Plan, urban communities will see their populations rise compared to trend development
patterns. The plan would also increase jobs and income in New Jersey’s cities, inner suburbs and rural
towns. With full implementation of the State Plan, the benefits for New Jersey in 2030 will include:
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Plan Adoption & Revision
Infrastructure Needs Assessment
“...the State Development and Redevelopment Plan can create a positive development future
for New Jersey. Development under the State Plan (PLAN) will produce economic benefits similar to those produced under TREND conditions. However, PLAN will direct more development
into new and existing centers and less development into rural and environmentally sensitive
areas. This will subsequently attract investment and expand the tax base of communities with
new and existing centers. The Plan therefore will conserve land, slow the increase in housing prices, and substantially reduce the need for expanded local public services in rural and
environmentally sensitive areas. Quality of life in the state will also improve, and governance
will beimproved by more effective intergovernmental coordination resulting from engagement
between local, county, regional and state governments as a result of the processes and procedures instituted by the Plan. “
Infrastructure Needs Assessment
Infrastructure is the foundation of a sustainable state, supporting a productive economy, a
healthy environment and a just society. The State Plan defines infrastructure as those capital facilities
and land assets under public ownership, or operated or maintained for public benefit, that are necessary to support development and redevelopment and to protect public health, safety and welfare.
Investment in capital facilities and other infrastructure is one of the most powerful tools available to
implement comprehensive plans for development and redevelopment. The New Jersey State Planning Act recognizes the importance of infrastructure by promoting development or redevelopment
where infrastructure capacity exists or may be readily provided and discouraging development where
capacities are limited.
Key findings of the Infrastructure Needs Assessment include:
Trend
Plan Impacts on Estimated Costs
Estimated Costs
State Plan impacts on estimated infrastructure costs are limited due to the
repair as opposed to new contruction emphasis of current New Jersey infrastructure policy.
139.1 billion
Transportation and commerce infrastructure systems
(78%)
138.9 billion
(22%)
178.1 billion
46
ƒƒ Support the economy of New Jersey by helping to produce goods
and move goods, people and information
ƒƒ Most costs are for maintaining and upgrading existing systems to correct existing deficiencies or to keep existing infrastructure in service
Public health and environment infrastructure systems
ƒƒ Include water supply, wastewater disposal and other systems that
protect public health and environmental quality
ƒƒ Greatest share of future needs is for wastewater disposal
Estimated infrastructure costs for key systems through 2028
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Plan Adoption & Revision
State Agency Functional Plans
Strategic plans are now being applied by state agencies to guide public investments in economic development, transportation, energy, water supply, open space, higher education, affordable
housing, the arts and other key infrastructure components. The importance of long range capital
improvement planning as a management and fiscal planning tool to help state and local governments
finance and build infrastructure is being increasingly highlighted, and is now part of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles for public agencies.
TOTAL ESTIMATED COSTS
TREND
178.1 billion
Transportation and Commerce
Roads, Bridges and Tunnels
Public Transportation
Freight, Including Ports
Aviation, Including Air Freight
Other Transportation Facilities
139.1 billion
109.2 billion
22.9 billion
2.0 billion
.8 billion
4.3 billion
Health and Environment
Wastewater Disposal
Water Supply
Stormwater Management
Parks and Recreation
38.9 billion
11.0 billion
8.0 billion
9.9 billion
10.0 billion
Key Indicators and Targets
The State Planning Act requires the State Planning Commission to include “the appropriate
monitoring variables and plan targets in the economic, environmental, infrastructure, community life
and intergovernmental coordination areas to be evaluated on an on-going basis…”
In response, the State Plan identifies nine key indicator and target series related to the nine
goals of the plan.
1. Revitalize the State’s Cities and Towns
ƒƒ
ƒƒ
ƒƒ
ƒƒ
Indicator 1A: Municipal Revitalization Index in Planning Area 1 cities
Indicator 1B: Percent of Jobs in Urban Aid Municipalities
Indicator 1C: Percent of New Building Permits in Urban Aid Municipalities
Indicator 1D: Tax Base Differential Between Majority Planning Area 1 Land Municipalities and
Statewide Average
2. Conserve the State’s Natural Resources and Systems
ƒƒ Indicator 2A: Loss of Farmland
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Epilogue
ƒƒ
ƒƒ
ƒƒ
3.
Indicator 2B: Conversion of Farmland for Development Per Capita
Indicator 2C: Land Permanently Dedicated to Open Space/Farmland Preservation
Indicator 2D: Loss of Freshwater Wetlands
Promote Beneficial Economic Growth, Development and Renewal for all Residents of New
Jersey
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4.
Indicator 3A: Meet Present and Prospective Needs for Public Infrastructure Systems
Indicator 3B: Agricultural Output
Indicator 3C: Municipalities with Median Household Incomes Less Than 50% of NJ Median
Indicator 3D: Percentage of Census Tracts with High Levels of Poverty
Protect the Environment
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5.
Indicator 4A: Percent of Potable Water Supplies Meeting All Standards
Indicator 4B: Number of Unhealthy Days Annually Caused by Air Pollutants
Indicator 4C: Percent of New Jersey Waterways Supporting Aquatic Life
Indicator 5C: Number of Brownfields sites redeveloped
Provide Public Services at a Reasonable Cost
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6.
Indicator 5A: Means of Transportation to Work
Indicator 5B: Progress in Socioeconomic Revitalization for Urban Aid Municipalities
Indicator 5C: Increase in Transit Ridership
Indicator 5D: Vehicle Miles Traveled Per Capita
Provide Housing at a Reasonable Cost
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7.
Indicator 6A: Percent of Renters Unable to Afford a 2-Bedroom Home at Fair Market Rate
Indicator 6B: Number of Municipalities with Council on Affordable Housing Certification
Indicator 6C: Ratio of Median Rent to Median Personal Income
Indicator 6D: Ratio of Median Home Price to Personal Income
Indicator 6E: Percent of New Units Permitted in Multi-Unit Buildings
Preserve and Enhance Areas with Historic, Cultural, Scenic, Open Space and Recreational
Value
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8.
Indicator 7A: Loss of Farmland
Indicator 7B: Land Permanently Dedicated to Open Space/Farmland Preservation
Indicator 7C: Loss of Freshwater Wetlands
Indicator 7D: Total Acreage of Recreational Land
Ensure Integrated Planning Statewide
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9.
Indicator 8A-1: Permits Issued in Metropolitan and Suburban Planning Areas or Centers
Indicator 8A-2: Population in Metropolitan and Suburban Planning Areas or Centers
Indicator 8A-3: Employment in Metropolitan and Suburban Planning Areas or Centers
Increase Energy Efficiencies and Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions
ƒƒ Indicator 7A: Greenhouse Gas Emissions
48
New Jersey State Development and Redevelopment Plan
DRAFT FINAL PLAN
Epilogue
Epilogue
The circumstances and conditions faced by New Jersey at the time that this Plan was drafted
will likely be very different by the time that the subsequent version of a state plan is written and
approved. An economic crisis, housing issues, budget constraints, local property taxes, threats to
environmental resources and the perils of global climate change focus our current concerns. Many of
the issues addressed in this edition of the State Plan will likely continue to be significant challenges
into the foreseeable future. When the next plan is written, an honest and frank analysis of the success
or failure of our state to promote the goals and policies of this state plan must be conducted. That
analysis should include an examination of a number of factors that influenced this version of the Plan.
In the interval between this plan and the next version of the State Plan, how the following principles
were addressed will be a measure of the State’s commitment to the plan’s policies and goals:
ƒƒ Prioritize the implementation of the State Plan rather than re-writing the goals and policies of
the State Plan.
ƒƒ Measure progress through objective ascertainable criteria and data collection and analysis
should be conducted to assist in this examination.
ƒƒ Utilize creative methods of implementation of the State Plan’s vision goals and policies.
ƒƒ The State Plan Map should be utilized as a guide for planning, while employment of the map as
a regulatory tool should be resisted.
ƒƒ Integration and alignment of the vision, goals and policies of the State Plan through:
•• Inter-agency cooperation including incentives and disincentives.
•• Coordination of local land use decisions.
•• Regulatory reform that is consistent the State Plan.
ƒƒ Align state department and agency fiscal policies and capital and infrastructure investments
with the State Plan.
ƒƒ Engage the Legislature in promoting the vision, goals and policies of the State Plan through
enactment of appropriate legislation.
ƒƒ Reduce the influence of the local property tax on land use decision making.
ƒƒ Increase affordable housing opportunities that are appropriate in design, scale, and location.
ƒƒ Significantly alter the trend in land consumption through:
•• An increase urban development and re-investment.
•• A Reduction in the loss of farmland and open space.
•• Connections between land use, development and public transit.
ƒƒ Natural resource conservation.
New Jersey State Development and Redevelopment Plan
DRAFT FINAL PLAN
49
Images/Graphics/Charts Credits:
Map, New Jersey State Planning Board 1933, page 3.
Photographs, Department of Treasury, Office of Information Technology, pages 5, 11, 16, 17, 20, 22, 23,
25, 26, 36.
Photographs , maps and charts, Department of Community Affairs, Office of Smart Growth, page 7, 24,
26, 27, 29, 30, 31, 34, 35, 36, 38.
Visual simulations of development patterns, Dodson Associates, Ltd/Regional Plan Association, for
OSG, page 12, 32, 33.
Photographs, New Jersey Department of Agriculture, pages 26.
Examples of Center types and plans, Tori Gallas/CHK Architects for OSP, pages 13, 37, 40, 41.
Photograph, New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, Main Street Program, page 39.
New Jersey Department of Community Affairs
Office of Smart Growth
Donna Rendeiro
Wendy McVicker
Acting Executive Director
Executive Assistant to the Director
Planning
Karl Hartkopf
Barry Ableman
Leigh Jones
Katherine Meade
Director
Principal Planner
Planner
Planner
Policy
Joy Farber
Chief Counsel
Research
Steven Karp
Jason Goldberg
Director
Geographic Information Science
Special Projects
James Requa
Mukund Kumar
Director
Project Specialist
Brownfields
Alan Miller
Outreach Program Manager
Brownfields Program Manager
Main Street New Jersey
Jef Buehler
Heather McCall
Director
Planner
Grants, Funding & Support
Jennie Purcell
Denise Sampson
Dawn Starling
Grants & Fiscal Manager
Technical Assistant
Secretarial Assistant 1
State of New Jersey
Office of Smart Growth
http://njsmartgrowth.com/